Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life
by Tear of Light
Summary: Sequel to Etro's Keeper's. Daily drabbles set in the Etro's Keepers world which could not fit in the original story. Post game. AU.
1. Goddess, Mother, and Fashion Designer?

**Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life**

_**A/N**__: I present to you the sequel to Etro's Keepers, Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life! The formatting of this drabble series is based on DezoPenguin's fanfiction called "Taking Wing" (which can be found here: www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/7025144/1/Taking_Wing). I have been granted permission to copy this structure. If you haven't read DP's story, I encourage you to do so. It's just wonderful. XD Now with that out of the way, onto the story!_

_Thanks to all who read, favorited, followed and reviewed the prequel to this. I hope the sequel is just as good or better. :)_

_**Warning:**__ For those of you who haven't played the FFXIII-2 DLC Heads or Tails and don't like spoilers, this would be a good chapter to skip!_

* * *

*** ~ Etro: Goddess, Mother, and Fashion Designer? ~ ***

_(featuring the former l'Cies family chibis)_

The sun slowly peered over the horizon, washing the land in a brilliant orange glow. Blue eyes watched the scene serenely, a certain pink haired soldier very much enjoying the quiet which accompanied the early morning. As was her routine, Lightning sat at her dinner table, drinking a mug of freshly brewed coffee. Her plate, previously holding scrambled Wyvern eggs, Gorgonopsid bacon strips and two slices of toast, was already in the sink. Chibi Odin sat next to his battle partner, on the table, eating his cereal at an impressive yet polite rate. Unlike the sergeant, Chibi Odin didn't understand the fascination humans had with hot food first thing in the morning. He preferred his cold cereal and always started off his day with that.

A horrified scream from downstairs.

Lightning set down her mug on the table and sighed. "Here we go," she said. Chibi Odin also sighed, mimicking her sentiment.

Just over a year ago, it wasn't uncommon for at least one scream to sound first thing in the morning. To Lightning's horror, and embarrassment, she was often the source of such a scream back then. Chibi Odin's obsession with cuddling her at night was shocking to the soldier, but as time went on, Lightning quickly adapted to sharing her house with another, and such things became a thing of the past.

Another shriek from downstairs.

Lightning sighed again.

This was all Etro's doing. There was no way it couldn't be. Waking up this morning, only to find her numerous GC uniforms replaced with silver suits of armor with gold highlights and a trail of white features down the left side, Lightning knew for a fact Etro was up to no good. And if her assumptions and gut feeling weren't enough, just Chibi Odin's reaction alone (that being a rather cute and comical face palm) would have been all the support she needed for her suspicions. Lightning crossed her legs, her right on top her left, the metal of her boots making a clinking sound when they touched.

Since the chibis entered their lives, it had been one thing after another. The Goddess was nothing like the descriptions written of her in the datalogues. She was the total opposite in fact. That led Lightning to wonder about the vague few records on the deity. Was there truly very little written about Etro? Or had most of them been deleted on purpose to cover up the Goddess'... eccentric side? That thought aside, the moment Lightning heard the dual screams from downstairs, she knew her day was going to be anything but ordinary. The Valkyrie-like armor she currently wore was probably the biggest hint regarding that.

The sound of stomping on the metal stairs leading up to her level snapped Lightning out of her thoughts. She had just enough time to give Chibi Odin a quick glance, the chibi doing the same, before the door to her house was violently ripped open and Serah stumbled in.

"Claire!" the breathless, red faced youngest Farron exclaimed.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Good morning, Serah," she said, giving her flustered sister a once over.

Serah's pink locks were frazzled, her cheeks flush, and wait a minute... Was that a new outfit? Lightning hummed to herself. Serah actually looked pretty good in the half naked outfit she had on, one made of pink, white and gold. It showed a lot more skin than Serah was usually comfortable with (Serah was really a modest girl), but rather than make her skanky looking, Serah looked rather... dare Lightning think it... sexy. Maker! Fang was beginning to rub off on her. Lightning really had to stop hanging out with the Pulsian so much.

"Claire, I-" Serah froze, her mouth open. "W-what...?" Oh mother of the Maker, what the hell was going on!

It took a few seconds for Serah's mind to process what her eyes were obviously showing it. She had been so caught up in the events leading up to this moment that she hadn't immediately paid attention to the nagging feeling at the back of her mind, one which screamed that something was not quite right. Not quite right with her sister that is. Something about Lightning being too shiny and sitting stiffer than usual. Then her eyes focused on Lightning's current attire and the youngest Farron couldn't but gawk.

"Claire!" Serah exclaimed, her eyes wide and her jaw slack.

"Yes, Serah?" Lightning answered calmly.

"What are you wearing!"

* * *

Etro had done something to her sister. Serah was utterly convinced of that as she sat opposite of Lightning at the dinner table, wringing her hands. Bewitched. Bedazzled. Be- whatever! Something was totally wrong with the eldest Farron! Lightning was too quiet, too calm, sitting at the table with them as the rest of the family congregated in her house. She was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary, but something was indeed improper, and none of them knew why. By now, the sun was higher in the sky, and all of the family had gathered in Lightning's house to discuss this most recent... incident. With the exception of Fang, Vanille and Sazh, everyone else seemed to have been... well... pranked, wardrobe-wise.

Setting Serah's and Lightning's new looks aside, between Hope and Snow, the silver haired teen probably had it the worst out of them all. Somehow, overnight, he gained a foot in height. Long gone were his boyish looks, now in their place a mature and calm looking Estheim (though if you were to ask him, Hope would tell you he was far from calm right now). Hope now sported a yellow and white long sleeve jacket, light grey pants and black boots. Around his neck was a blue necktie and on his hands were black leather gloves with metal knuckles. Apparently there was also an intricate belt pouch thing which came with the outfit, but Hope left it at home for the moment.

Unlike Hope, and Serah and Lightning for that matter, Snow seemed to have been the luckiest of them all. His wardrobe change consisted only of a plain red shirt in place of his blue shirt and vest with his white trenchcoat now a dark grey colour, looking more worn around the edges. Everything else was the same, except for Snow's now missing scarf and bandana. Serah liked him better this way though. Snow's slightly longer, spikey blonde hair was rather... charming...

"Nice outfit ya got there, Light," Fang said with a grin. "Where'd ya get it?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, having expected this kind of reaction from Fang. But she refused to take the bait. "I think you know very well where this came from."

Fang chuckled. She sat to Lightning's left, along with Vanille. "That I do," the lancer replied. "But the question is, why are ya wearin' it?"

Lightning shrugged, nonchalantly taking another sip from her mug. Blue eyes glanced at the chibis playing on her bed. How could she explain this to the rest of them? How could she tell them that she willingly made a deal with Etro in return for allowing Serah to take care of her own Eidolon? Fang would have a field day with that admission alone.

It was like making a deal with Chaos itself, Lightning knew. It was probably the biggest mistake she could have ever made. Thankfully, the Goddess had enough sense in her not to force Lightning to do something which would forever scar the soldier for the rest of her life. If cosplaying for a day ensured Serah's happiness, Lightning would readily do it over and over again. She would make that sacrifice as many times as she needed to, like the many sacrifices she had done over the years after the loss of their parents. Not that this was really a sacrifice per se.

Admittedly, this suit of armor was... unique. It allowed for easy movement, decent protection, and best of all, Lightning didn't have to worry about cleaning and maintaining the damn thing. Etro had that all covered. This would be the easiest favor she had ever had to do. Though why the Goddess chose to modify the others' outfits too, the soldier didn't know. Etro was probably getting overzealous again. That woman...

"Maybe I just wanted a change of pace," Lightning eventually said in response to Fang's question.

_BAM!_

Snow jumped next to his fiance, at the ferocity of which she slammed her fists against the table. Poor Hope nearly jumped a foot in the air next to him too, also in surprise.

"Alright!" Serah exclaimed, jumping to her feet to peer at Lightning critically. "Who are you and where is my sister?"

Lightning's eyebrows went up in surprise, the soldier having clearly not expected that reaction from her sister. Though Snow wasn't sure why that was. Lightning was acting really weird today, something which concerned him just as much as the others (with the exception of Fang and Vanille, maybe). The soldier should have been demanding Etro's communicator from Fang right now, screaming threats at the Goddess for even hiding her cape. Snow had come to learn very quickly (as did Sazh) of Lightning's obsessive compulsive behaviour when it came to her accessories.

"Maybe Light owes the Goddess a favor?" Vanille piped in before Lightning could reply.

Lightning's eyes narrowed a fraction as she looked at the redhead. Either Vanille was a prophet or that wild guess was extremely lucky. Lightning leaned towards the latter.

"Are you kidding me?" Sazh said incredulously. "Lightning owing Etro a favor?" Sazh looked at Lightning. "No offense soldier girl, but you don't seem like the type to owe anyone a favor, especially the Goddess."

"None taken." Lightning's lips twitched upwards slightly. Thank the Maker for Sazh and his logic.

Vanille hummed, tapping her chin with her index figure. She stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Then maybe Etro's fulfilling her inner Fashion Designer?"

"Huh?"

"You never know," Vanille said with a giggle.

Lightning wanted to face palm. Etro? A fashion designer? Maker help them all if that happened. Out of the corner of her eye, Lightning saw Chibi Odin face palm on her behalf. Fang burst out laughing.

"Fulfilling her inner fashion designer?" Hope repeated, his voice nearly cracking. He looked ready to faint. "How is _this_ doing _that_?" he asked, waving at himself. "And why are you, Fang and Sazh unaffected?"

"Maybe she forgot?" Snow offered, though his answer didn't sound very confident.

"Or maybe she's still thinking up a new look for us," Vanille said a little too excitedly. "I bet she's making really neat outfits for us right now. I can't wait!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Lightning said in warning. But her words came too late.

There was a flash of light, leaving the soldier's vision nothing but white for a few seconds. When her sight cleared, Lightning's eyes widened and her heart dropped. For a moment, everyone held their breaths in silent horror, staring at the Pulsian pair. Then the duo blinked and everyone breathed in relief.

"Oh my word..." Sazh said, quickly putting his back on the Oerbans, turning his face away.

Without explanation, Lightning relinquished her chair at the dining table and joined the chibis on her bed. As much as she hated playing babysitter to them, now was not a good time for Chibi Bahamut nor Chibi Hecatoncheir to look at their battle partners. Luckily, the chibis were so delighted that Lightning came to play with them that they paid no attention to the rest of the adults behind her.

"What's wrong ol' man?" Fang said, oblivious to her current appearance. She raised an eyebrow at the gunner.

Vanille seemed equally oblivious as she turned to a very flushed Hope. "Hope? What's wrong? Why are you so red?"

Snow opened his mouth to reply but Serah slapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes, her own cheeks a bit red. The youngest Farron envied her sister right now, Lightning having abandoned the rest of them to sort out this mess.

"Um Vanille..." Serah said hesitantly. "You might want to look in a mirror. Or rather, look at Fang and you'll get an idea of why we're all... yeah..." Serah quickly averted her eyes.

"Huh?" Vanille did exactly what Serah said and looked at her partner. Fang did the same thing.

"Fang!" Vanille squeaked, quickly looking down at herself before covering herself up with her arms. "Why are you naked!"

Fang and Vanille were currently clothes-less. In place of their regular attire was body paint, one which covered them head to toe (including their hair). The paint itself was a silvery blue, mimicking the type of crystal they became when they first crystallized to save Cocoon years ago.

Fang threw her head back and hollered. "Why am I naked?" The older Pulsian didn't seem the least bit fazed. "Speak for yerself." Another laugh. "Lookin' good there, Vanille." A wink.

Despite her crystal blue appearance, a noticeable blush flamed on Vanille's cheeks. "Fang! Stop laughing and find something to cover yourself up with! We don't want the chibis seeing us like this!"

Now it made sense why Lightning suddenly got up from the table to check on their mini battle partners.

"Why should I?" Fang retorted. She crossed her legs. "It's probably nothin' they haven't seen already. An' I'll have ya know, it wasn't uncommon for Yuns ta wear nothin' back in the day. Especially if they were out huntin'. Clothes made a lot of noise an' often got caught on stuff. It was so much easier ta run around wearin' nothin' at all wit' only yer weapon in hand."

"That was before, Fang!" Vanille chastised. By now, Sazh had gotten his wits about him and lent Vanille his coat. Fang on the other hand, waved off Snow's attempt to do the same.

"And I'm not a Yun!" Vanille half said, half shouted. She was clearly embarrassed by the whole thing.

Stupid, stupid Etro.

Sazh sighed. First Lightning and now Fang and Vanille. Maybe he should just leave one of his coats with each of the girls in case something like this happened again. At least Serah wouldn't have to worry about that. Snow would cover her up in an instant.

Lightning looked back over her shoulder and gave Vanille a '_I told you so_' look. Serah merely rolled her eyes at that.

"I'm getting too old for this," Sazh muttered, shaking his head. Couldn't they have just one day, _ONE DAY_, where nothing went... weird?

Fang laughed again, having heard Sazh's words. "Careful ol' man," she said. "Yer next in line in case ya haven't realized." The Pulsian grinned. "I wonder what dear ol' Etro would dress ya up as."

"Oh hell no!" Sazh exclaimed, waving his hands dismissively. "If Etro thinks she's going to change this old man's clothes, she has another thing coming!"

Fang snorted. "Ya make it sound like ya can actually stop her or somethin.' I bet she could even change that chocobo chick in yer hair if she really wanted ta."

To everyone's surprise (though nothing rarely surprised Lightning anymore), not a moment after Fang said those words, the chocobo chick from Sazh's hair sprung up into the air and everyone was blinded by another flash of light.

"Holy Chocobolina!" exclaimed a new voice.

Everyone blinked rapidly to clear their vision, only to find a woman they had never seen before standing with them. The woman was dressed in a very revealing yellow and red chocobo outfit, complete with wings and a hat.

"You were right Fang!" the woman said in amazement to the Pulsian. "How did you know?"

Hope's jaw dropped. "Feeve was a girl?"

Before anyone could say anything or do anything further, Sazh bolted out of Lightning's house screaming about crazy Goddesses and how they weren't going to get him.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, it's true. The true identity of Chocolina in FFXIII-2 is Sazh's chocobo chick. Was I ever surprised to find that out. Wow. You can find more information about that here: http[colon][doubleslash]finalfantasy[dot]wikia[dot]com/wiki/Chocolina_

_And the name Feeve, for the chocobo chick, came from my Tainted Fal'Cie fanfiction. In that story, Feeve was male. XD_

_Once again, this was a nod at FFXIII-2. In case there was some confusion, all the characters are wearing the outfits they had from game two. As Fang and Vanille were still technically crystal at that time, that's why they had crystal outfits, so to speak. I think out of all of them, Sazh was the only one who didn't get a new outfit._

_And finally, just to clarify, the events for this chapter take place after the end of Etro's Keepers, after Etro left the chibis in our heroes' care for the second time. This may not be the case for future chapters._

_As always, my disclaimer is below._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._


	2. Lightning Can Protect

**Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is here! Whoo!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Whistlewind Wolf - Thanks for the review! ^^ Good to see you again. :) I can only imagine how excited you were based on that description. Hehe. The first chapter was a lot of fun to write, and strangely enough, it had been plaguing me for weeks before I finally caved and wrote it. Don't ask me how I came up with that idea, because I really don't know. Lol. As for Sazh's part, yeah, he had a very, very minor role if you don't include the DLC. I certainly suggest you nab yourself a copy of the game though. I've spent over 80 hours on it already and am still playing it (trying to get Lightning's crystal XD). To answer your final question, for the time being, this story along with any new ones I write, will be updated on a monthly basis. But in case you forget, or if there are changes, keep an eye on my profile. I have all the info and schedules, etc, posted up there._

_Riku91 - Thanks for the review! It's always nice to readers who have stuck by me since the beginning. :) Knowing Etro, and if you remember what she told Chibi Lightning in the first story, I think the gang will be stuck that way for a bit. Lol. I have seen that story you mentioned, it's actually on my list of things to read. As for Tainted Fal'Cie, I'll be focusing on my two new and upcoming stories first before I pay more attention to that one. But it will happen eventually. :)_

_smilebear27 - Thanks for the review, for both stories! I have to admit, I'm really glad I ventured into the comedy side of things. It's a lot of fun to write, and there's no shortage of things I can do to our favorite heroes. Lol. Gotta hand it to the chibis and Etro, life is certainly not boring for the FFXIII gang. Hehe. If you thought the last chapter was hilarious, well... I wait to see what your reaction is for this chapter. XD _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Lightning Can Protect ~ ***

_(featuring the Farron family chibis)_

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lightning had a headache. Why did she have a headache? Because of her current situation.

"WAAAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

How did she get into this situation? That was all Serah's fault.

* * *

_~ Fifteen minutes ago. ~_

"Are you sure, Claire? I mean-"

"Serah, really. It's fine. It will only be for a few hours."

Serah looked at her sister skeptically. Both of them sat side by side at Lightning's dinner table, with Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren sitting opposite them. The chibis were finishing up their breakfast. Like usual, Lightning wore a perfectly neutral expression on her face, as if Serah wasn't asking her to babysit Chibi Siren for a day, but instead asking her what she wanted from the grocery store. The youngest Farron frowned.

Today was supposed to be Lightning's day off from patrol. Captain Amodar had been adamant about it and even threatened to lock Lightning in her own house if she attempted anything work related. Somehow the good captain had found out about the incident involving Chibi Lightning, cookies, and Chibi Bahamut from a while back. Amodar laughed until he was almost blue in the face when he finally arm wrestled (not literally) the truth out of Lightning.

How Amodar found out about that, the sergeant didn't know. Needless to say, Lightning was less than impressed and silently vowed to find and hurt the culprit later. The pinkette was very much convinced Snow was to fault, the blonde being quite the blabbermouth. What Lightning would never find out however, was that it was all because of Serah's frantic call to the Captain when she realized the tiny Eidolon had disappeared under her watch. But even if Lightning did find out about that, what would she do to Serah really?

Complying with her superior officer's orders, Lightning took today off and resigned herself to a quiet day of being bored out of her mind. Because really, watching over her chibi battle partner was _a lot_ of work. Not. Maybe she would read some books. Yes, that was a great idea. After all, Lightning had a huge bookshelf filled to the brim with all sorts of books, but had yet to pick up one of them to read. Not many people knew it, but Lightning was an old style kind of girl, preferring actual books to datalogues. But before the eldest Farron could actually grab a book and settle down on the couch, Serah paid her a visit saying they needed to _talk_.

"Serah, don't give me that look," Lightning said, snapping the youngest Farron out of her thoughts. "It's fine."

"But Sis-"

"Serah." Lightning set her mug of coffee down on the table and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I know how important this project is to you. Rebuilding the New Oerba school house is a big deal. Not just anyone could have gotten that project off the ground. But you did."

"I know," Serah said with a shy smile. "It's just that-"

"I'm proud of you, Serah."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, Lightning's smile bringing Serah nearly to tears.

"And I'm sure Mom and Dad are proud of you too."

Serah pulled Lightning into a tight hug. "Thanks, Claire," she said sniffing.

Lightning hugged Serah back, resting her head gently against her sister's. Looking to Chibi Odin on the table across from them, Lightning caught the mini white knight in the middle of spoon feeding his little sister some apple sauce, Chibi Odin having paused in eating his breakfast to help Chibi Siren finish hers.

"Hey," Lightning said, giving Serah a gentle nudge. She nodded at the chibis. "Look at that."

Serah was treated to the most adorable scene of Chibi Odin wiping Chibi Siren's mouth with a napkin. The smaller Eidolon had apparently tried to eat too fast, which resulted in some apple sauce ending up on her chin.

"They kind of remind me of us," Serah said, snuggling against Lightning's shoulder.

Lightning chuckled. "They do, don't they?"

And for the next few minutes, the Farron sisters watched in silence as Chibi Odin continued to help Chibi Siren eat her breakfast.

"I'll watch her for you, Serah," Lightning said softly. "You can leave her with me."

Serah looked up to meet Lightning's gaze.

"Besides, it's not like I'm here by myself," the soldier continued. "Odin will be here with me too. So go on and help the others build the school. We'll be here when you get back."

Serah pulled back from her sister's warm and protective embrace. "Well... if you're sure, Claire..." Blue eyes turned back to the chibis on the other side of the table.

"I'm sure," Lightning replied without hesitation or doubt. Lightning knew she wasn't the most motherly of the family, but for Serah, she'd do anything.

"Thanks Claire." Serah hugged Lightning again, a huge smile on her face. "I knew I could count on you." A pause. "But just in case, I'll have my communicator with me. All you'd need to do is call-"

"Serah," Lightning interrupted. "Everything will be fine. I promise. Don't worry about us, alright? After all, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

* * *

_~ Back to the present. ~_

What's the worst thing that could happen? Yeah right.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Only fifteen minutes had passed since Serah left, Chibi Siren not noticing Serah's departure until she finished breakfast five minutes later. And when the tiny water Eidolon realized her battle partner was gone and that she couldn't follow, Chibi Siren started to cry. Despite both Chibi Odin's and Lightning's valiant efforts, neither of them were able to soothe the youngest Eidolon, nor distract her from Serah's absence.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lightning pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. Her headache was getting worse.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The soldier had done everything. From trying to distract Chibi Siren with crayons and a colouring book all the way to getting Chibi Odin to calm her down (which didn't work). Chibi Siren would have none of it. Nothing Lightning did had any effect, the tiny one continuing to wail on and on like... well... a siren.

Maybe the mini water Eidolon needed a diaper change. Or maybe the chibi needed a nap. Or maybe Chibi Siren had somehow managed to hurt herself without Lightning knowing. The soldier pulled at straw, after straw, after straw, hoping by some dumb luck that she'd get the water Eidolon to stop crying, even for a minute. But Lady Luck seemed to ignore Lightning's silent pleas and Chibi Siren continued to cry. Blue eyes wandered over to the gunblade hung up on the far wall, way out of reach from tiny hands. Why couldn't this situation be solved the easy way? Lightning was starting to realize how much she took Chibi Odin's maturity for granted.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

There was one thing she had yet to try, though if Serah was around, she'd probably slap Lightning upside the head for even thinking about it. But with the way things were going, that being Lightning's increasingly aggrivated headache and Chibi Siren's incessant mewlings, Lightning may just resort to that...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Like now.

"That's enough!" Lightning exclaimed, loud enough to be heard but not loud enough for it to be a shout or a yell.

Both Chibi Siren and Chibi Odin jumped in surprise, the former looking at the soldier in fright while the latter just looked at her in shock. Lightning had never shouted at Chibi Odin before. Though he did remember seeing his battle partner scream at Snow every once and a while. And punch the blonde too.

"Serah will be gone for a few hours," Lightning continued. Her voice was calmer now, but her tone was still pressed. "But she will come back. In the meantime, I will be taking care of you. Understand?"

Silence.

And for a moment, Lightning thought she had done it. She had done what the rest of the family thought was impossible for her. Dealing with a child. But just when she was about to give herself a mental pat on the back, Chibi Siren looked up at her with big, watery blue eyes, her small lips trembling, making Lightning feel like the worst person in the entirety of Gran Pulse.

Lightning silently cursed Serah for teaching Chibi Siren how to make those sad puppy dog eyes.

On the other side of town, Serah sneezed. "Huh..." the youngest Farron commented, rubbing her nose. "Must be allergies."

Back at Lightning's house, the soldier wanted to punch something.

"No, no, no, no, no," Lightning said, knowing full well her respite would soon be over. "Don't cry Siren. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I shouted at you. Alright? Don't cry."

In spite of Lightning's attempts to placate the tiny Eidolon, Chibi Siren's eyes watered even more, her lips also trembling more noticeably. Chibi Odin could only look at his battle partner sympathetically, the mini white knight knowing exactly how temperamental his little sister could be. Even he didn't know how Etro kept Chibi Siren so calm all the time. The tiniest Eidolon was definitely the most spoiled out of them all. Counting down from three in his head, Chibi Odin watched as Chibi Siren opened her mouth and started to cry again.

* * *

Serah wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, the sun now high in the sky and beating down on her. A couple of hours had passed since they started rebuilding the New Oerba school house this morning. Slowly but surely, progress was being made.

"Here. Ya look like ya need a drink."

Serah looked up from the datalogue in her hand to find a chilled bottle of water held up to her. Blue cloth flapped in the wind. "Thanks," she said before taking the bottle and twisting off the cap. She gulped down a few mouthfuls of water.

"The lil' one ain't wit' ya today?" Fang scanned the immediate area for the smallest of the Eidolons.

Serah chuckled. "No, she'd only get into trouble if she was here. I wouldn't be able to watch her all the time with everything that's going on."

Ten feet away from the pair, men and women hustled back and forth with tools and wooden boards in their hands. Amongst the workers was Team NORA, the gang also assisting in the reconstruction of New Oerba's second oldest building.

"Very true," Fang said in agreement before taking a drink of water from her own bottle.

It had taken just under month to clear out the overgrowth in the area, that and shoring up the already existing foundation of the building by the waterfront. Without the advanced technologies from Cocoon, a lot of the work had to be done by hand. By now, the surviving Cocoonians had gotten used to that fact, though that didn't stop them from grumbling about it on occasion. With the land cleared and the foundation for the building all set, under direction of Serah, the old walls were now being replaced with new framework.

"I didn't expect to see you back here so early."

The Pulsian huntress looked over at her companion and shrugged. "Yeah? Well, those monsters must have been scared of me or somethin'," Fang replied with a grin. "Nothin' happened on patrol."

"You didn't take Bahamut with you?"

The small dragon Eidolon was notorious for following Fang around everywhere. It was only on the rarest of occasions that he didn't follow the lancer, especially when she did her rounds like today. Today was an exception however, as Fang was covering for Lightning at Captain Amodar's behest.

"Nah. He's wit' Vanille an' Hecatoncheir," Fang said. "The far edge of town is a lil' too dangerous ta take him out on patrol wit' me."

Serah nodded in agreement."That's understandable." She motioned towards the construction site in front of them. "That's why I left Siren with Claire this morning,"

Fang half sputtered, half choked on her water, nearly spraying Serah with it. The Pulsian coughed a few times, a small hand thumping her on the back until she got her breath back.

"Say what?" Fang finally exclaimed after a few seconds. "Siren's wit' Lightnin'?"

* * *

"Maker," Lightning said in disgust. "What has Serah been feeding you?"

Lightning held Chibi Siren at arms length, wrinkling her nose. The tiny Eidolon seemed oblivious to the soldier's discomfort and merely looked at the pinkette curiously. Was this a game? Chibi Siren liked to play games.

After Chibi Siren cried for the better part of twenty minutes with no signs of stopping, Lightning had all but given up on soothing the small one. Picking her up, with every intention of finding Serah to ask her what was wrong with the Eidolon, Chibi Siren suddenly quieted, flabbergasting the soldier. Then the smallest of the Eidolons proceeded to snuggle against Lightning's chest and suck on her thumb, her tears forgotten. Lightning blinked in confusion for a few seconds before a light bulb turned on in her head. Chibi Siren wanted to be held.

Thinking about it further, since Serah got the tiny one, Lightning couldn't remember a time she'd not seen Chibi Siren in Serah's arms. Aside from when she needed to be fed, that is. Or have her diaper changed. Or napping. It was probable to assume that the little one was used to being held, and wanted that comfort as Serah wasn't around to keep her company.

So, for the rest of the morning, Lightning was at the water Eidolon's every beck and call, holding the little one the entire time, as Chibi Siren made a fuss anytime Lightning tried to put her down. While that was somewhat bearable though annoying for the first few hours, Lightning could no longer do that unflinchingly, not when a horrid smell wafted from the little one's diaper.

"You'd swear something crawled in your diaper and died."

Chibi Siren giggled.

Chibi Odin watched the scene from the couch, far, far away from the smell. The mini white knight could only sympathize with his battle partner, a hand over his nose trying to stop the putrid fumes from getting through. Lightning, who was still holding Chibi Siren, didn't have that luxury. Scrambling off the couch as his battle partner walked over to the washroom with his baby sister, the chibi Eidolon did the only thing he could do at a time like this. He pulled out a fresh diaper from Chibi Siren's nursing bag and followed after Lightning into the bathroom.

* * *

"Fang! She's not that bad!"

Fang laughed. "Ya do realize this is Lightnin' we're talkin' about here, right? The same Lightning who '_can't protect, but only destroy_?'"

"_Fang_." Serah frowned, Fang's grin growing in size.

"Has Sunshine ever taken care of kids before? Odin doesn't count."

"She took care of me when our parents died," Serah said in defense of her sister.

"That doesn't count either Serah, an' ya know it," Fang retorted. "Besides, ya were beyond the age of potty trainin' then. Siren still wears a freakin' diaper for cryin' out loud!"

"Fang-"

"Does Lightnin' even know how ta change a diaper?"

Serah huffed. "She's seen me change Siren's diaper many times before. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?" Fang repeated, looking at Serah incredulously. "For all we know, Lightnin's puttin' her gunblade ta good use on the lil' one."

"Fang!" Serah smacked the Pulsian on the shoulder. Both of them currently sat on the grass under a nearby tree eating sandwiches. The construction crew was currently on break for lunch.

"Claire would never do that!" Serah continued. "She'd never hurt Siren. Besides, Odin is there with her. He wouldn't let anything happen to his little sister either. You should have seen them this morning. They were so cute!"

Serah smiled, staring off into space. "Siren's too cute for anything bad to happen to her."

Fang just chuckled, shaking her head. "If ya say so, Serah."

* * *

_SPLAT!_

Lightning's eyebrow twitched, her jaw clenching. Chibi Siren sat defiantly in her mini Eidolon high chair on the table, a small bib around her neck. Remnants of Gorgonopsid meat paste coated her tiny fingers, the rest of it slowly dribbling down Lightning's face. Chibi Odin sat between the two on the table, nervously looking back and forth between the pair.

Changing Chibi Siren into a new diaper had been a nightmare. Aside from the smell, trying to keep the little one still enough to be cleaned up was almost impossible. Somehow the soldier manage to do just that and discarded the used diaper without incident (though Lightning was really tempted to chuck the damn thing out the window but didn't). But the moment she turned back to Chibi Siren with a fresh diaper and baby powder in hand however, the small one was gone. Gone as in not in the bathroom and not within immediate sight.

After a frantic few minutes of searching (Lightning seriously thought Chibi Siren had somehow flushed herself down the toilet without Lightning knowing), both Chibi Odin and Lightning turning over every single item in the soldier's house, Chibi Siren was found to be playing hide and seek in the sheets of Lightning's bed. Bare bummed. (Just what what was it with the chibis and her bed?). A quick non violent scuffle, and a fresh diaper later, it was finally time for lunch. Or at least, that was the idea.

A squeak.

"No," Lightning said firmly, wiping off her face with a napkin for the tenth time in the past few minutes. "You eat your food, Siren. Not play with it."

Chibi Siren shook her head, turning her face away when Lightning brought up the spoon of Gorgonopsid meat paste to her mouth again.

"_Siren._"

Funny enough, Chibi Siren had no qualms about eating apple sauce, carrot paste or corn paste. Though, when it came to eating meat, the little one absolutely refused the stuff, leaving Lightning to wonder if Chibi Siren was vegetarian or something. It was more likely that the little one was just a picky eater. Serah was quite the picky eater as a child, and seeing a lot of her sister's mannerisms mirrored in Chibi Siren, Lightning wouldn't have been surprised if the little one picked up those preferences too.

_SPLAT!_

Lightning sighed heavily.

* * *

"Hey Serah, can I borrow yer communicator?"

Serah blinked. "Uh sure," she said, handing the Pulsian her communicator. "Who are you calling?"

Fang grinned. "Vanille," she said. She flipped open the device. "I'm gonna tell her ta meet me at Lightnin's house wit' Bhakti."

Serah grabbed the spear wielder's wrist, successfully interrupting the huntress from dialling. "_Fang._" Serah narrowed her eyes.

"What?" Fang asked, looking all innocent. "It's not everyday Sunshine plays babysitter."

Serah opened her mouth to retort.

"Odin doesn't count."

_"Fang."_ Another stern look.

"Oh c'mon Serah," Fang chided. "Don't tell me ya aren't curious what's goin' on right now. I know ya are. This is Lightnin' we're talkin' about. An' Siren. Do ya remembered the last time ya tried ta leave Siren wit' one of us?"

Serah grimaced at that memory. The last time she asked someone to babysit Chibi Siren, it was Sazh. Having raised Dajh practically by himself, Serah thought he was the best one to watch over her mini battle partner while she attended to errands. Yet not even five minutes after leaving the water Eidolon with the older Katzroy, Sazh showed up at Snow and Serah's door with a wailing, freaked out Siren in hand. It seemed the little one just couldn't bear to be apart from her battle partner. Even Vanille, in all her bubbly goodness, couldn't handle the smallest of the Eidolons.

"But she didn't seem to mind Claire this morning..." Serah said, thinking back to the events a few hours ago.

"Did Siren actually see ya leavin'?" Fang questioned.

"I said I'll be back later and gave her a kiss on the forehead," Serah answered.

"_Serah._" Fang gave the youngest pinkette a look. "Did Siren actually see ya leaving?"

Serah shook her head and frowned.

Fang grinned. "So can we go see?"

* * *

"Siren!" Lightning scolded. A splash of water was her response, along with Chibi Odin's startled squeak and Chibi Siren's giggle.

Lightning should have known better. Serah had warned her about Chibi Siren's affinity for water. She warned Lightning that the moment water was nearby, Chibi Siren would naturally be drawn to it. And while Lightning never took what Serah said for granted, it never occurred to her that washing the dishes with Chibi Siren and Chibi Odin on the couch with nearby would lead to this.

"Siren! Stop that this instant!"

Water was everywhere.

On the walls. On the ceiling. On the floor.

True to Serah's word, the moment Chibi Siren heard the rush of water out of the pipe, all hell broke loose. Hell hath no fury like Chibi Siren playing with water.

"Siren!"

A jet of water shot our towards the soldier, making Lightning dive and roll to avoid it. The dish cupboard behind her took the brunt of the hit. Lightning was already drenched head to toe from the water Eidolon's aqua theatrics, along with half of her house. Her bed, her dinner table, even some of the boxes in the storage room were wet. Lightning was livid. And Chibi Siren showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

A squeak.

Chibi Odin chased after his sister, the tiniest of the Eidolons being quite the fast crawler. He supposed it didn't help that had to use his shield every now and a then to deflect bolts of water away for him. Without a doubt, Chibi Siren thought this was some sort of game. Like tag and everyone else was it. The only trouble was, this was not a game. And he knew Lightning was becoming increasingly more angry and annoyed with his younger sister as she continued to flood the soldier's house.

Chibi Odin opened his mouth to chastise his little sister again when a noticeable shadow loomed over the mini water Eidolon. Three of them, in fact. Chibi Siren's most recent blast of water had literally dislodged some of the books on Lightning's tall bookshelf and those same books were now falling down upon Chibi Siren's head.

A horrified squeak.

_BADAHM!_

Chibi Odin's eyes were covered with his hands. That was the only thing he could do as the heavy monstrosities of books threatened to squash his sister flat. The mini white knight was just too far away to tackle Chibi Siren out of the way in time. Yet when he didn't hear her cry out in pain (it would take a lot more than oversized books to actually harm the chibi Eidolons, they were Etro's children after all), he dared a peek through his fingers. And what he saw left him gaping.

"Hey," Lightning said with a pained grunt. "You... alright?"

Lightning currently hunched over Chibi Siren on her hands and knees, having shielded the tiny Eidolon from a great deal of pain with her body. Three massive books, whose spines were at least a hand span wide, lay on the ground next to the pair. The soldier glanced at the books momentarily before grimacing. Who needed a gunblade when they had these things? Lightning could easily knock someone out just by throwing one of those books at them. Maybe she'll toss one at Fang the next time the Pulsian pisses her off. Fang certainly wouldn't see that one coming.

A small hand reached out and grabbed at Lightning's arm sleeve. Large, watery blue eyes looked up at Lightning, Chibi Siren sniffling miserably. She had done something bad, and Chibi Siren knew it.

Lightning breathed in relief. The mini water Eidolon was alright. Serah would never forgive her if something happened to the little one. In spite of how aggravating and annoying and frustrating the smallest of the Eidolons could be, Lightning couldn't but see a younger version of her sister in Chibi Siren. Lightning could never stay mad at her sister for long.

"I'm fine," the pinkette replied with a small smile, her breath hitching momentarily when she arched her back a bit. Lightning would be sporting some ugly bruises tomorrow, that was for sure. "Just... be more careful next time. Alright?"

Chibi Siren held onto Lightning's arm sleeve tighter, more tears welling up in her eyes. Sitting back on her heels, Lightning stroked Chibi Siren's hair gently. "Don't cry Siren. I'm not mad, alright?"

By now Chibi Odin had joined them and started to pick up the fallen books. Lightning's eyes flickered to the red covered book in Chibi Odin's hand.

"So that's where that went."

Both Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren followed Lightning's gaze to the book in Chibi Odin's grasp. It was the thinnest of the three books that had fallen and was marked **Family Photos** on the front. Lightning smiled when the chibis looked back at her.

"How about you two help me clean up and I'll show you some pictures from when Serah and I was your age?"

* * *

"Thanks for all the help today, Fang," Serah said packing up her things. Work for the day, at least on the school house, was finally over and it was time to go home. Serah couldn't wait until she saw Chibi Siren again. She was mighty curious what had happened in her absence, no thanks to Fang's never ending prodding.

Fang merely shrugged. "I had nothin' better ta do an' Vanille said it was alright."

"Even so, we appreciate the help."

The huntress shrugged again in response, before a large grin stretched across her face. "It's jus' too bad we didn't have a chance ta pop by ta see how Sunshine an' Siren was doin' though."

Serah rolled her eyes. "Better luck next time Fang."

Fang laughed. "Maybe." Emerald eyes looked over the half rebuilt school house behind them. "Nevertheless, it'll be great ta see the old school house up an' runnin' again."

There was a far away look in Fang's eyes, one filled of nostalgia and remembrance. Fang was probably thinking back to her younger years when the school was still in one piece, Serah guessed. When she first discovered the half crumbled building after Cocoon's fall, Serah was delighted to find old drawings of chocobos signed by Vanille and Fang still hanging on the wall. The youngest Farron could only imagine how special that place must have been to their Pulsian family members.

Serah stretched, letting out a sigh. "I wonder how Claire and Siren are doing," she said, knowing it would catch the Pulsian's attention.

There was Fang's laugh again, the huntress playfully slapping Serah on the back. "I still can't believe ya convinced her ta babysit for ya, Serah."

Serah grinned, an expression both innocent and not. "Claire would do anything for her little sister," Serah said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Didn't you know?" A wink.

Fang rolled her eyes and shook her head. Fang did know. Little sisters, Vanille included, were just evil like that.

* * *

"Will ya look at that."

Lightning's brows furled a bit before straightening out.

"I never thought I'd see the day-"

"Shush Fang!" scolded a softer voice.

Lightning blearily blinked her eyes open, grunting softly as she craned her stiff neck to the side. The last thing she remembered was of her showing the family photo album to Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren on the couch. Lightning was still sore from her bout with the books earlier, but at least everything was cleaned up and mostly dry by now.

"What?" was Fang's reply. "Look at 'em. How cute is that?"

Cute?

Lightning blinked awake instantly, and would have jumped to her feet in that same moment had not a soft squeak made her freeze in her spot. Looking down at her lap, Lightning found Chibi Odin and Chibi Siren curled up against her, napping. Chibi Odin at least. Chibi Siren looked up at Lightning sleepily.

"Sorry," Lightning said, before stroking the little Eidolon gently on the head. "Go back to sleep."

With another soft squeak and a huge yawn, Chibi Siren's thumb went back into her mouth and she snuggled up against Lightning again. The mini water Eidolon was out like a light.

Serah wanted to squeal.

"Claire, you..."

Serah had never seen her sister like this before. While she had vague memories of Lightning's softer side, and the soldier was indeed acting more friendly nowadays, to see Lightning acting so motherly was just... heartwarming. Serah sat down on the couch and hugged Lightning tightly, careful not to disturb the slumbering chibis on the soldier's lap.

"Thank you for watching her, Claire."

Lightning smiled at Serah. "Anytime, Serah."

* * *

_**A/N: **__This chapter was in response to Lightning's belief that lightning cannot protect, but only destroy. If you recall, that conversation happened with Hope when they were fleeing to Palumpolum. I've been wanting to show this side of Lightning for a while now, and here you have it. :P_

_I don't claim to know what it's like to babysit younger children, so Lightning's adventure into babysitting could be completely unrealistic. Nevertheless, it was fun putting our favorite soldier in that position. Lol._

_I have no idea how reconstructing buildings works either. I made it all up._

_And finally, yes, in my version of things, Captain Amodar survives the events of the game._


	3. The Runt

**Etro's Keepers: A Day in the Life**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is here! While I don't mind readers making requests for this piece, please note I cannot promise I'll be able to fill them. So if you request something that does not appear, don't take it personally. It simply just didn't fit with the direction I'm carrying this story._

_On another note, I now have a poll up on my profile. It is specifically about this story. The question is this: Would you, as a reader, rather that I post longer chapters like this one (5+ pages long) on a monthly basis? Or would you prefer I post short snippets of drabbles (half a page to a page) on a weekly basis? Only signed accounts can take part in this poll. For unsigned reviewers and readers, feel free to leave your vote in a comment._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Riku91 - Thanks for the review! :) I had a lot of fun writing this chapter up, especially because of what Chibi Siren put Lightning through. There's something rather amusing about putting Lighting through the horrors of babysitting. Lol. I guess it's because she doesn't come across as a caretaker time so much. :P Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. It too showcase's Lightning's softer side. :)_

_ Sage - Thanks for the review! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for the chibis and our heroes swapping places, that's something I haven't thought about yet. I can't make any promises about it (as seen in my author's note above), but I'll certainly consider it. Thanks for the suggestion. :)_

_ nas - Thanks for the review! :) Despite all beliefs otherwise, I too think Light will make a great mother. ^^ That could very well be part of the reason why I'm giving her the practice for it right now. Lol. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. :)_

_ smilebear27 - Good to see you again, and thanks for the review! :) I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the chapters so far. There's always this worry I have, that what I write will disappoint people somehow, but it never happens. Lol. Anyhow, here's another chapter for you, involving Lightning and her lighter side (no pun intended :P). I hope you enjoy it as well.:)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ The Runt ~ ***

_(featuring the Farron family chibis)_

"No."

"But Claire-"

"It's not happening, Serah."

An exasperated sigh.

"_Claaaaaaire."_

Lightning rolled her eyes. She currently sat at her dining table, one leg crossed over another, with her arms crossed over her chest. Surrounding her at the table, with the overflow sitting on her couch, was the rest of her family. And the chibis, they were all on Lightning's bed, circling the one in question.

"It's out of the question, Serah," Lightning said in spite of her sister's protests. "It's an animal. Who knows how dangerous it is."

"Claire, it's a Moogle! Not some Gran Pulse monster."

"I fail to see the difference. They both roam the wilds of Gran Pulse."

It was during times like this that Serah really wanted to slap her sister, slap some sense into her that is. But with Lightning being her last surviving family member, she would never be able to land a hit even if she tried. Lightning was just too fast for her. Serah sighed again, before looking back to the nest of a blanket surrounded by the chibi Eidolons.

"Oh, there's quite the difference, Lightbug," Fang said, grinning like she usually did. "Unlike the typical Gran Pulse nasty, which would attack ya unprovoked, those lil' buggers-" Fang nodded to their guest on Lightning's bed, "- would never attack ya unless yer threatenin' one of them."

"If it's-"

"It's a he actually," Vanille piped up, much to Lightning's annoyance.

"If _he_ is so harmless," Lightning continued. "Then why don't any of you take him in?" Lightning turned her gaze to Serah.

"We would love to, Sis," Snow said, on behalf of his fiance. He put an arm around Serah's shoulders.

Lightning's eyebrow twitched but she let that nickname slide.

"But with the twins and Siren already, it would just be too much for us."

Lightning sighed inwardly, sympathizing with the young couple. Just having to take care of Chibi Odin was bad enough at times. She shuddered to think about what it was like to take care of three of them at the same time, one of them being a toddler. So she looked at Hope.

The silver haired teen smiled wearily, rubbing the back of his neck. "Dad barely tolerates Alexander as is," Hope said. "I don't think he'll let me have another one."

Lightning nodded in understanding. It wasn't easy being a Keeper of Etro, especially with this lot. The fact that Bartholomew allowed Hope to keep Chibi Alexander at all was a miracle in itself. Especially after the chibi went on to paint the man's work desk neon pink after receiving his paint set on Wintersday. Lightning turned to Sazh.

The old man sighed. "I'd really love to Lightning, believe me, I would. But with Dajh and Brynhildr already, there's just no room."

The pink haired sergeant sighed, outwardly this time, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. As much as she hated to admit it, everyone else had legitimate reasons why they couldn't take on the extra responsibility. Not that she blamed them. Lightning was doing all that she could to shy away from the extra work as well.

"Hey now! Aren't ya gonna ask us?" Fang demanded, indignant.

Lightning sighed again, still rubbing her eyes. This was really a no-brainer, but if Fang insisted...

"How about-"

"We can't," Vanille interrupted.

"Why the hell not?" Fang huffed at her redheaded partner.

_"Fang."_ Vanille used the same tone of voice with Fang as Serah did with Lightning when wanting to make a point. It was rather comical.

"What?"

"You know exactly what, missy."

Lightning's lips twitched slightly at the sight of Vanille wagging her finger at the older Pulsian. Oh how similar she was to Serah. Evil. They were both evil.

"What the hell are ya talkin' about?"

Jade green eyes narrowed a fraction. "Need I remind you about the whole sari and the toilet-"

Fang's hand covered Vanille's mouth faster than anyone had ever seen the huntress move before. "Sorry Lightbug, we can't," Fang said, smiling wearily. Lightning raised an eyebrow, noticing the faint colouration on the lancer's cheeks. Sari and the toilet? That sounded like a story worth hearing.

"Uh huh."

"kupo?"

Everyone's attention instantly left the Pulsian duo, Lightning and the gang turning to look at the tiny Moogle on her bed. It was Chibi Odin who had found him, scratched up and abandoned while he and the other chibis were out playing earlier this morning. The Moogle was almost the same size as Chibi Siren, rather small for his species. That was probably because he was a newborn only a couple of days old. The chibis were hesitant to get any closer to the small furry one beyond the edge of the blanket swirled around him like nest. Every time someone got closer to the Moogle, he would cringe in fear and panic.

"Just look at him," Serah said, getting up from the table to wander over to Lightning's bed. She stooped down next to the chibis, the Moogle already sinking into the blanket in fear. "Could you really turn him away, Claire? You're the only one who has room for him right now."

Serah turned to look at Lightning with sad puppy dog eyes.

Lightning cringed under her sibling's look, turning her gaze towards the chibis to avoid it. It didn't get much better there for all of the mini Eidolons were looking at her with the same expression. Damn Serah for teaching them all that look. Gah.

"Please, Lightning?" Vanille pleaded, the redhead also piercing Lightning with that sad, helpless expression. "Couldn't you keep him? Just for a little while?"

Lightning gritted her teeth. She would not succumb to this. She would not! "But-"

"He won't be able ta survive on his own," Fang said, frowning at the Moogle. "Look at how small he is. He's probably the runt of the litter. That's why he was abandoned."

Lightning chewed on her lip, the odds continuing to stack more and more against her. Surely Hope or Sazh would say something in her defense? Out of them all, the two of them were probably the most trust worthy out of the entire family.

"Odin was the one to find him," Hope said, much to Lightning's shock. "He is kind of your responsibility now."

_Hope you traitor!_

"I hate to say it," Sazh began.

Lightning's lips pressed into a fine line, her brow furling. She knew that look.

"But they're right," Sazh said.

Lightning sighed again. What was it? Gang up on Lightning Day? Or did she have a sign taped to her back saying _Pick on me!_?

Snow opened his mouth to talk.

"Oh alright!" Lightning exclaimed, throwing up her hands in defeat. The last thing she needed was to hear what Snow had to say too. The buffoon was probably going to spout out some hero responsibility crap anyhow. "I'll watch him."

Snow was rather shocked at Lightning's surrender. While he was accustomed to her cutting him off on a daily basis, he was actually going to say something in her defense. Like the rest of them shouldn't pressure Lightning into taking in the Moogle because that was just mean. But hey, this worked too.

Everyone (except for Lightning) breathed in relief, smiles stretched across their faces. The chibis cheered too, Chibi Bahamut patting Chibi Odin on the shoulder. The mini white knight would be responsible for their new friend from now on, and there was no one better in Chibi Bahamut's mind for that job than Chibi Odin.

Lightning rolled her eyes yet again, sighing heavily for the umpteenth time. "Alright, alright! Enough of that already," she said, hoping everyone would finally leave her alone. "I'm only taking care of him until we can find him a new home. You don't have to make such a big deal about it."

* * *

"kupo?"

"_Where do Moogles come from anyhow?"_

_Fang shook her head and shrugged. "No one knows. We know they've been around as long as the other animals here on Gran Pulse. But no one seems ta know where they came from. They usually keep ta themselves. It's very rare ta see one nowadays."_

_"Right."_

A squeak.

Lightning put her book she down and looked in the direction of her bed. "What is it Odin?"

Chibi Odin was sitting on Lightning's bed, next to the nest of a blanket, holding the runt Moogle. The small fluffy one appeared to be significantly calmer around Chibi Odin, now that the rest of the family had cleared out for the time being. Lightning attributed that to a size thing, Chibi Odin being closer to him in size than she was. If she had had a Adamantoise constantly looking over her shoulder, she'd be nervous too. Though, that probably wasn't the best of analogies to think of in this situation. Not being the babying type, Lightning left the Moogle alone for the most part, hoping he would get accustomed to his new surroundings faster without her interference. The Moogle, nicknamed Mog by Serah, mewled softly, peering over the edge of the blanket.

A soft rumble. And another squeak.

"Right."

Lightning looked down at her right hand, where a sandwich was firmly held between her fingers. It had been hours since Chibi Odin first discovered the Moogle and brought it home. Having grown accustomed to Chibi Odin by now, Lightning trusted him enough to wander around New Oerba by himself without getting into trouble. Much trouble at least. She'd been in the shower when he came back earlier this morning, after exploring the settlement with the rest of the chibis. It was a daily routine of the mini Eidolons. Lightning was none the wiser about their new house guest until the Moogle caught sight of her and squeaked in fear. Thinking about things further, Lightning wondered if the thing had actually eaten anything in the past few days, both Vanille's and Serah's efforts to feed him earlier failing miserably.

Getting up from her seat at the dinner table, Lightning walked over to her dish cupboard and pulled out a plate. Slicing her sandwich in half, she set the uneaten part of it in the new plate before grabbing a glass and filling it with water. Slowly, she made her way over to her bed, noting Mog tense at her approach. Lightning set the food and water down near the blanket nest and quickly moved away to give the Moogle room. Upon realizing Lightning was not going to do anything to him, far-a-less actually harm him, Mog blinked at the food and then looked back at Lightning.

Lightning looked at him back.

Chibi Odin squeaked.

"You're kidding, right?" Lightning said in exasperation. "You're seriously not expecting me to chew your food for you and feed it to you mouth to mouth, are you?"

"kupo?"

Lighting sighed, rubbing her face. "Of course."

In spite of Mog's initial apprehension, Lightning sat down on the edge of the bed and began tearing the half sandwich into smaller bites. There was no way she was going to chew up the sandwich and feed it to him like a mama Wyvern, but the least she could do was make it bite sized for him.

A thought.

Did Moogles even eat sandwiches? If they didn't, what did they eat?

Lightning frowned, yet continued to rip the sandwich apart. She was hopeful there was at least something in it the little one would eat. If it was not the bread itself, maybe the Gorgonopsid meat strips in it, or maybe even the Gran Pulse leaf vegetables she had added to her sandwich.

Tearing at the umpteeth strip from sandwich, Lightning stilled in her motion when a tiny white paw grabbed at her hand. It was the most curious feeling, Mog's tiny hand holding onto her finger. Blue eyes looked away from the piece of sandwich Lightning was ripping to see Mog halfway out of the blanket nest looking up at her. He tugged on her finger.

Lightning got the hint and offered him the strip of sandwich held between her fingers. The Moogle hungrily gobbled it up, even going so far as to lick the tips of her fingers (another curious feeling), all the while still holding onto Lightning's finger. Lightning repeated that action, handing Mog one shred of sandwich after another, Mog eating it right out of her hand, yet still holding onto her.

From the sidelines, Chibi Odin smiled, watching as his battle partner continued to feed the little white Moogle. Most people didn't know it, but at times, he worried a lot about the pinkette. While Lightning acted all tough and unflappable most of the time, Chibi Odin knew of the soldier's loneliness. He saw the way Lightning looked at the rest of the family, longing to find that companionship everyone else had. Sometimes, it just wasn't enough for him to keep Lightning company.

Serah had Snow. Fang had Vanille. Sazh had Dajh. And Hope had his father. But who did Lightning have really? When the time came for them to all return home (something of which Chibi Odin hoped wouldn't happen for a long time), Lightning would be once again left on her own. So when he stumbled across Mog earlier this morning, the furry one also missing that other person too, Chibi Odin knew he had to bring Mog home. Chibi Bahamut had argued against it, saying it was better to leave Mog where he was. The strong survived, and the weak perished. That was just the natural order of things on Gran Pulse. But Chibi Odin saw it differently. Things happened for a reason. And he wasn't about to let this pass him by.

So despite being scolded this morning by Lightning, and being teased by the other chibi Eidolons, Chibi Odin held his ground and waited. This was the right thing to do. And Chibi Odin was right.

Small at first, a slow smile stretched across Lightning's face. It wasn't the forced type, one used to hide hidden pains or anguish. It wasn't the sneaky type, to throw off an opponent with false bravado. It was the genuine type, one which stemmed from true happiness, coming straight from one's soul. And that was the type of smile Lightning had currently, as she continued to feed Mog as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Something about this chapter I'm still not happy with, but oh well. :P_

_A shout out goes out to BiJane for requesting a Chibi Mog chapter. I originally planned Chibi Odin bringing home a Gorgonopsid pup runt, but Chibi Mog seemed to work better here. _


	4. From the Eyes of a Chibi

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__:__ Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. The result, I'll continue to write the longer chapters which are posted on a monthly basis. On a side note, for the love of the Maker! FFnet stop being glitchy and removing the spaces between words! [insert Pulsian curse here] *clears throat* Now onto the story! :)_

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ Sage __- __Thanks __for __the __review! __I'll __do __my __best __to __update __them __as __fast __as __I __can, __but __for __the __time __being, __my __stories __will __be __updated __on __a __monthly __basis. __Keep __an __eye __out __on __my __profile __as __any __changes __will __be __posted __up __there. __Thanks __for __the __comment! __:)_

_ Riku91 - Thanks for the review! :) Admittedly, the previous chapter was more cute than funny, but that's alright. I think cute and funny go hand in hand with each other, not to mention I think a lot of people like the variety. ^^ I'm very pleased the switch from Gorgonopsid pup to chibi moogle turned out as great as it did. I wasn't too sure how to insert the fluff ball into the story, but this works. XD Thanks for the comment! I've made a note of your vote._

_ Guest - Here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy! :)_

_ smilebear27 - Thanks for the review. ^^ You're not the only one who's asked about the sari and the toilet incident. And while it wasn't my intention to write about it originally. Just last night I got a wicked idea of how that chapter could play out. So, expect to see a chapter about it some time in the future. I can't say when as I'm still pretty busy with real life stuff at the moment. As for the moogle stuff, I'm really glad it turned out this way. I agree with you, it's much better than the Gorgonopsid pup. ^^ Expect to see more with Chibi Mog in the future too. ;)_

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended__ for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ From the Eyes of a Chibi ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ former l'Cies __family __chibis)_

Life was awesome.

Especially if you were a chibi Eidolon named Siren.

Siren may have been the youngest out of her brothers and sisters, but that meant little under the care of Etro's Keepers. To them, she was equal, or rather, above equal in everyone's eyes. Siren was... special. Yes, that was the right word. Special. For no other chibi could get away with the things that she could.

"Lightnin', what in the blazes are ya doin'?"

"I'm reading the newspaper, Fang. What does it look like?"

"Wit' the lil' one climbin' all over ya?"

A shrug.

Siren giggled from atop her perch (that being a certain pink haired sergeant's head), watching as Bahamut and Hecatoncheir strolled into the room with their playmates in tow. The chibi water Eidolon had been left in the older pinkette's care while her playmate stepped out momentarily to do... whatever she needed to do. Bahamut greeted Siren with a chirp, zipping past her in the air in gestalt mode. Hecatoncheir, on the other hand (or hands in his case), waved at her, the multi-armed chibi currently held up by Nilly. Nilly was Hecatoncheir's playmate.

"Light! That's so cute!" Nilly squealed, running up to Siren and the sergeant as smiley as ever. Siren squeaked happily to Nilly in greeting.

"Yeah, cute," Rawr commented. She was Bahamut's playmate. "Cute as in _I__-__can't__-__wait__-__until-I-get-pooped__-__on _cute."

Siren scowled at Rawr. She wasn't nice all the time. And no, Siren wasn't going to soil her diaper anytime soon. That had been changed already, just before the others started showing up, before she decided to get a better view of the place from somewhere higher up. Her playmate's sister didn't mind. Siren was liked by everyone after all.

"Oh Siren," Nilly said, drawing Sirent's attention back to her. "Don't mind Fang. She's just jealous that you like Light better."

"What?" Rawr almost squawked. The Pulsian huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jealous of Lightnin'? Never!"

A chuckle.

Siren looked down at pink hair as her seat shifted underneath her. "I never realized you were so... _possessive_, Fang."

That was Fairy. Everyone else called her Littie, but Siren called her Fairy like her playmate did.

"I am not possessive!"

"Ah, then you're jealous."

"Say what!" Rawr turned her incredulous look to Fairy. "Stop puttin' words inta mah mouth!"

Everyone just laughed, Siren included. It was so much fun playing with Rawr. She was funny.

"Knock, knock," came a voice at the door. All heads turned towards the owner of the voice.

"Sazh! Hope!" You made it!" Nilly ran up to the crowd standing at Fairy's playroom door, welcoming them with a hug.

Siren squeaked again, waving at her brother and sister as they entered, both of them returning her wave with a wave of their own. Alexander was atop Teeny's shoulder, like he usually was, while Brynhildr stood next to Sadz on the ground. Surprisingly, she was not in gestalt mode for a change. Daz was with them, Sadz's baby.

"Hey Vanille," Sadz said, giving Nilly a hug. "Fang." A nod to Rawr.

"Glad ya two could make it," Rawr said with a smile and a nod. "For a moment there, I was worried itta jus' be me an' Vanille the whole time. Ya know how that can be." A wink.

"Hey!" Nilly exclaimed, stomping her foot. Hecatoncheir had thankfully been released earlier, to play with the other chibis.

"That's not nice Fang! I'm not that bad!"

Teeny laughed, setting Alexander down on the floor so he could join the rest of the chibis. "Don't worry Vanille, now that we're here, we'll keep you company."

"Awwww! Thanks Hope." Nilly beamed.

Teeny blushed.

"Yeah!" Daz piped up, joining the younger pair. "We'll play with you Auntie Nilly!"

A squeak.

Siren peered over the edge of Fairy's head, spotting Brynhildr on the ground next to Fairy's chair. Fairy was sitting at the eating table, reading something called the Paypar.

"Hmm?"

Siren's perch moved again as Fairy gazed downwards at the fire wielding chibi.

"Looks like she wants to play with you, Siren." Fairy's open palm appeared next to the chibi water Eidolon, Siren crawling onto it before being lowered to the ground next to her sister.

Siren squeaked at Fairy in thanks.

"Don't get into trouble now." A smile.

Another squeak. And a smile from Siren.

Brynhildr picked Siren up, carrying her over to Fairy's couch, where the others were already playing.

"Wow, Light," Teeny said somewhere in the background. "Siren really seems to like you. How do you do it?"

The rustling of paper.

"I think she just mistakes me for Serah. Both of us have the same coloured hair after all."

Siren giggled again. That was so not true. Siren could definitely tell the difference between her playmate and Odin's playmate. It was just that she had taken a better liking to the pink haired sisters. Maybe it was the usual coloured hair. Having Fairy take care of her before also biased her opinion a bit. But the other playmates didn't need to know that.

"I don't know," Sadz said. "Kids are pretty smart."

"Don't I know it." Fairy flipped to the next page of the Paypar.

"Speakin' of kids," Rawr said, spying around the room. "Where's the big oaf an' yer sister?"

* * *

Sheera, Noze, Odin, Stiria and Nix soon after returned from the go-stoor with food for the big feast. Sheera, Siren's playmate, loved to cook, and today was just the occasion to do that. Something about fights stopping and everyone playing nice. Siren didn't really know the exact specifics, though she vaguely remember Etro-mama talking about it before. It happened a really long time ago.

"You've really outdone yourself today, Serah," Sadz said with a smile.

On the table before them was a multitude of dishes. From spiced Oretoise meat to steamed batatas. From three different kinds of wild rice to fried Wyvern wings. There was a lot of things Siren had never seen before, and it all of it smelled yummy. Siren wanted to eat everything.

"This looks awesome, Serah," Noze said, flashing Sheera a grin and a wink. Siren's playmate went red in the cheeks.

Fairy rolled her eyes. "Please save the mushy stuff for behind closed doors. I'd rather keep my appetite, thank you."

Amused chuckles and laughs went around the table.

"Here, here!" Rawr said, lifting up her glass. "Let's eat!"

After a quick prayer by Nilly, everyone finally dug into the good stuff. Including Siren. The chibi water Eidolon scooped up a blob of Gorgonopsid meat paste from her plate and looked across the table at Fairy. Blue eyes were on Siren in an instant. Fairy froze, a fork just in front of her mouth with a chunk of batata on it.

"No throwing your food at people, Siren," Sheera told her, her playmate's timing impeccable as ever.

Siren held Fairy's gaze for a good ten seconds before giggling. She then went on to lick the food off her fingers. Fairy shook her head with a smile, continuing on with her meal.

* * *

A squeak.

"Siren, it's time for your nap."

Another squeak. And a huff.

Noze sighed. "_Seeeeeeraaaaaaah_," he called across the room. Sheera and Fairy were washing dishes while everyone else was clearing up the table and leftovers. Out of them all, Noze was the unfortunate sap volunteered to put the chibi Eidolons to sleep for their afternoon nap.

"Siren refuses to sleep."

Siren's brothers and sisters watched in mild amusement as Stiria and Nix's playmate did all that he could to make them all, specifically Siren, sleep. They currently occupied Fairy's bed, that being the designated nap area. From reading a story, to singing (Noze actually didn't sound too bad), to just trying to get her to lie down, nothing worked. That shouldn't have been surprising to the blonde as kids, chibis included, were always so full of energy and Siren was no exception.

"Yer probably jus' doin' it wrong, Snow," Rawr said, wandering over to them. After getting into a fight with Fairy on how to tidy up after lunch, the Pulsian decided to change activities and came over to bother Noze instead.

"What are ya tryin' ta do? Make them laugh?" Rawr bumped Noze out of the way with her hip.

"Woah! Hey now!" Noze exclaimed. Then he saw Rawr reaching for Siren. "Uh Fang, maybe you shouldn't-"

"A child needs ta be soothed ta sleep," Rawr said, picking up the chibi water Eidolon. Siren squeaked in surprise, making both Sheera and Fairy freeze in their motions at the sink on the other side of the room. Before she knew it, Siren was flush against the huntress' chest, cuddled against her.

"_Golden slumbers kiss yer eyes,  
Smiles await ya when ya rise..."  
_

Rawr stroked Siren's hair with surprisingly soft strokes, the huntress slowly pacing the length of Fairy's playroom.

"Wow," Teeny's voice sounded somewhere in the background. "I never knew Fang could be so..."

"Motherly?" Sadz finished for the silver haired boy.

"Yeah," was Teeny's reply.

"You and me both."

"_Sleep,  
pretty baby,  
Do not cry,  
An' I'll sing ya a lullaby..."_

Nilly giggled. "You should see her at home when it's her turn to put the little ones to bed. It's so cute!"

"Huh," Fairy commented. "Who would have thought?"

"Vanille! Where's Bhakti? We have to take pictures!" Sheera squealed before someone shushed her.

"_Cares ya know not,  
Therefore sleep,  
While over ya a watch I'll keep..."_

Soon, Siren lost track of who said what. Between Rawr's gentle pacing and her soothing words, all the chibis were quickly lulled to sleep. Siren easily found comfort in the sound of Rawr's beating heart. And as the sights and sounds blurred and silenced around her, Siren stuck her thumb in her mouth, sighing happily.

"_Sleep,  
pretty darlin',  
Do not cry,  
An' I'll sing ya a lullaby..."_

Life was awesome.

Especially if you were a chibi Eidolon named Siren.

* * *

_**A/N: **__While I realize this may be a bit out of character for our heroes, who's to say this never happened, right? ;)_

_The lullaby Fang's singing is called "Golden Slumbers."_

_The __occasion __the __gang __was __celebrating __was __the __end __of __the __Transgression __War._

_Batatas are another name for sweet potatoes, one originally used before they were dubbed 'sweet potatoes'. _

_And __in __case __it __wasn't __clear, __this __happened __before __Lightning __got __Chibi __Mog._

_Just __to __clarify, __the __list __below __are __the __translations __for __Chibi __Siren's __subsituted __words:_

_playmates = __battle __partners_

_playroom = __Lightning's __house_

_Paypar = __newspaper_

_go-stoor = grocery store_

_Fairy = __Lightning_

_Sheera = __Serah_

_Teeny = __Hope_

_Noze = __Snow_

_Sadz = __Sazh_

_Rawr = __Fang_

_Nilly = __Vanille_

_Daz = __Dajh_


	5. Dream Catcher

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__: __And __the __next __chapter __is __here! __Whoo!_

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ Guest __- __Thanks __for __the __review! __:) __I __really __do __have __such __a __soft __spot __for __Chibi __Siren. __I'm __so __happy __I __decided __that __would __be __Serah's __Eidolon. __XD_

_ sage __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __You're __very __sweet. __I __don't __consider __myself __a __good __writer, __as __I'm __sure __there__ are __many __more__ people __out __there__ better __than __me. __Nevertheless, __I __love __to __write __and __will __continue __to __do __so __and __share__ it __with __you__ all __for __a __long __time __yet. __;)_

_ Guest __- __Thanks__ for __the __comment. __:) __It __was __a __lot __of __fun __writing __chapter __one __of __this __piece. __I __hope__ you'll __enjoy __the __rest __of __it._

_ Riku91 - Thanks for the review. ^^ Every so often, I like to change things up. Sorry if that got you all confused for a moment. Hehe. ^^;;; I'm glad to hear you figured it out though. :) Ever since I came up with the idea of Siren being Serah's Eidolon, I couldn't wait to have a chapter written from her perspective. As for Fang's lullaby, I've also wanted to show the softer side of Fang for a while now, as often she comes across as this tough chick etc. Makes her more human and real I suppose. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended__ for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money__ from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Dream Catcher ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ Farron __family __chibis)_

"Serah..."

A whimper.

Fists clenched at clumps of blanket, sweat drizzling down a pale brow.

"I'm sorry..."

Chibi Odin's gaze rose from the book he was reading, shifting over to his battle partner's bed. He frowned.

"Don't leave me..."

It was happening again.

"All alone..."

The day had started off like any other. Lightning and Chibi Odin were up at the crack of dawn as was their usual routine, and after having a hearty breakfast (or in Chibi Odin's case, his typical bowl of cereal), it was time for patrol. With the summer upon them, so too was Gran Pulse's monster mating season.

The spike in numbers for the Bloodfang and Breshan Bass taking up residence near the waterfront wasn't so much of an issue as it was annoying at times. But with the constant patrols by the former l'Cies and their chibi counterparts, the Bass knew well enough to stay away from the human settlement, lest they get turned into that night's meal. That was a great relief to Lightning and the gang, Vanille especially as the recently moved in flock of White Chocobos were also amidst their mating season.

Perhaps it was the feathered ones which drew the attention of a wandering Pink Lily, no one knew for sure, but none of them would ever forget just how long and agonizing the fight was, to chase off the oversized flower turtle. By the end of it, they were all exhausted, Lightning more so than everyone else as she was the first one to face it.

"Serah..."

Another whimper.

Chibi Odin got up from the dinner table (he was reading on the table while Lightning took a much needed afternoon nap), setting his book down next to him. Striding over to the edge, he climbed over, sliding down the leg of the table before ambling up to Lightning's bedside. The soldier was deep in the throes of a weary sleep, every so often tossing and turning, calling her sister's name. Had this been the first time this happened, Chibi Odin would have been worried. But as it was, this was not the first time, which left the tiny white knight frowning.

"I'm sorry..."

Chibi Odin took a running start, leaping into the air and catching the edge of the blanket which hung over the side of Lightning's bed. He pulled himself up without too much trouble. Getting to his feet again, Chibi Odin narrowly dodged to the right in time to avoid Lightning's fist as she rolled onto her side towards him, almost knocking him off the bed.

"I'm sorry..." Lightning mumbled again in her sleep.

Chibi Odin clenched his jaw.

Not many people knew it, but Lightning suffered from nightmares, at times really bad ones. This usually only happened when she was really tired, or around certain days of the year (such as the anniversary of her mother's death). Nevertheless, it was never easy to watch, especially for Chibi Odin. Ghosts of the past still haunted the soldier, despite the pinkette making amends to rectify many of her previous mistakes. The small Eidolon was absolutely convinced that this particular nightmare was due to Serah's near mauling at the claws of the Pink Lily earlier on in the day, as she was helping Vanille tend to the White Chocobo flock at the time of the attack, but he wasn't completely sure. Whatever the case, it hurt him to see his battle partner so troubled.

"Don't... leave..."

One small gloved hand touched Lightning's clammy cheek, the pinkette's tightly furled brow slowly relaxing the longer the touch lingered. A soft blue glow emanated from Chibi Odin's hand, the little Eidolon infusing his battle partner with another Curaga. He had healed Lightning earlier of the bumps and bruises from the fight with the Pink Lily, though Lightning had waved him off far sooner than he'd liked, trying to tough it out like she usually did. Chibi Odin didn't press the issue, because he knew exactly what Lightning was like, but that didn't stop him from making sure now while she was asleep.

Soon Lightning's sharp and aggravated breaths slowed to a more peaceful rhythm, Chibi Odin quickly finding himself being wrapped up in Lightning's arms as she hugged him to her chest. Vanille had once joked that the chibis were like stuffed animals, cuddly and comforting, though Lightning had immediately dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Chibi Odin knew it was just Lightning's way of saving face as the tough sergeant everyone had come to know. The chibi knight couldn't but smile now though, as he remembered Serah letting it slip once that Lightning slept with a teddy bear in her younger years.

It was completely by accident that he'd come across that memento of the past, having fallen into one of the boxes in the storage room while searching for something else. Lightning was rather surprised when she found him there, Chibi Odin splayed out right next to her old friend in a cardboard box. It was one of the few things they had recovered after Cocoon's fall, one of Lightning's most precious things (aside from Serah) as it was a gift from her parents. His battle partner's need to cuddle things in her sleep amused Chibi Odin to no end, no matter how much she denied the desire to do so when the others asked about it.

The creak of a floorboard pulled the mini white knight from his thoughts, Chibi Odin turning his head to catch sight of Serah. The younger Farron had Chibi Siren with her, his younger sister snoozing away in Serah's arms. Serah sat down on the bed next to Lightning and Chibi Odin, a sad smile on her face.

"Another nightmare, huh?"

Chibi Odin looked at Serah in surprise.

Serah smiled. "Claire tries to hide it, but I know."

A squeeze around his midsection made Chibi Odin glance back to Lightning's face. She was visibly more relaxed now, as compared to a few moments early, the soldier no longer mumbling hauntedly in her sleep. Now, a small smile curved her lips, Lightning unconsciously nuzzling the top of Chibi Odin's head softly against her cheek. Chibi Odin, with his back pressed to his battle partner's chest, rubbed Lightning's hand gently. Lightning let out a soft sigh.

Serah reached across Chibi Odin's vision to pull some stray pink locks away from her sister's face. "Thanks for taking such good care of her," the younger Farron said looking at the mini white knight.

"I was worried when I couldn't always be around for her," Serah continued, looking a bit guilty. "She sacrificed so much for me already, yet try as I might, I couldn't be there for her when she needed it."

A soft squeak.

"You're sweet," Serah said with a smile. She bent down and kissed Chibi Odin on the forehead. "I can see why Claire likes you so much."

Chibi Odin blushed.

Serah rose to her feet, leaning over the bed to pull up the blanket on both Lightning and Chibi Odin. "It seems I was worrying for nothing." Another smile. "But that's alright. Keep watching over her for me?"

Another soft squeak.

"Good," Serah said turning for the door. "I'll hold you to that."

Chibi Odin nodded.

Chibi Odin didn't make promises he didn't keep.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Dream catchers are usually hung above one's bed and is believed to stop the bad dreams from invading peoples' dreams. To learn more about them, visit here: [__http][colon][doublslash]en.(wikipedia).org[forwardslash]wiki[forwardslash]Dreamcatcher_

_This chapter was inspired by my own teddy bear. Even as old as I am, I still cuddle my teddy at night. He's only one year younger than me. That probably will change once I find that special someone, but until then, my teddy will continue to be the one to chase away my bad dreams and wipe away my tears when I have a nightmare._


	6. Night of the Hollows

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__:__ While I was originally going to post the next normal chapter for EK2, I realized that Halloween was just around the corner from this update, and decided to write a holiday themed chapter first. XD_

_A special shoutout goes to denebtenoh for drawing up some awesome fanart for this series. Check out their picture of Lightning and Chibi Odin here (take out the spaces): www . deviantart / # / d5ifvgg_

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ sage __- __Thanks __for __the __comment. __It's __good __to __see __you __again. __:) __This __story __will __continue __for __a __while __yet, __so __expect __a __lot__ more __funny __moments __from __our __favorite __heroes __and __heroines. __XD_

_ Riku91 - Thanks for the review. ^^ Guardian angel has a nice ring to it, when it comes to Chibi Odin. ^^ As for my view on the next FFXIII game, I'm actually pretty excited about it. Like you, I really hope to see all of our favorite characters in it. Not just cameos of them. We can only wait and see what happens though. It should be interesting._

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I__ do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Night of the Hollows ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ former l'Cies __family __chibis)_

Lightning gently set down her knife and took a step back. Tilting her head to the side, blue eyes narrowed critically, searching for flaws in the masterpiece sitting atop the kitchen counter. Standing next to the said piece was Chibi Odin, the mini Eidolon ramrod straight in his pose and unmoving. He would remain that way until his battle partner deemed it safe to do so.

"Okay," Lightning said, after the object in question passed inspection. She smiled. "I think it's done."

Chibi Odin breathed in relief, dropping his arms and setting down his twin jagged blades. He didn't mind posing for Lightning while she did her thing, but having to hold his arms up, extended with blades in hand, did get tiring after a while. With the eagerness of a child, Chibi Odin quickly scurried around to the front of Lightning's handiwork to take a look.

A whistle.

"Lookin' good there, Light," came an accented voice behind the pair.

Lightning rolled her eyes, already knowing who it was without having to look behind her. "Fang," the pink haired sergeant said. She turned to head to look at the Pulsian. "To what do I owe this visit?"

A chuckle.

Chibi Bahamut zipped passed the pair in the air, landing on the kitchen counter next to Chibi Odin.

Fang slung her arm around the soldier's shoulders, her typical smirk stretched across her face. "Right inta carvin' I see." The lancer peered at the item.

Lightning gave Fang a look.

"What?" the Pulsian asked, acting all innocent. "Can't I stop by jus' ta see how my favorite girl is doin'?"

After taking a quick look at the said object for himself, Chibi Bahamut turned to Chibi Odin and gave his friend two thumbs up. Next to them both was a very large and orange pumpkin, a noble and defiant looking Chibi Odin carved onto its face, Chibi Odin holding his jagged S-Blades out in front of him. It had taken Lightning almost an hour to carve that masterpiece, but both Lightning and Chibi Odin would agree it was well worth it.

One finely crafted pink eyebrow raised at Fang. "Wouldn't Vanille be that person?"

Another chuckle.

"That may be true," Fang said, her eyes going distant for a moment. But then the lancer turned to Lightning and gave her a good look up and down, waggling her eyebrows. "But it's not every day I get ta see ya carvin' them pumpkin's." A pause. "An' dressed up like that." A wink.

"Of course." Lightning rolled her eyes again.

All Hallows Eve.

It was thought to be the oldest known Gran Pulsian holiday, having originated many centuries even before Fang and Vanille were born. Legend had it that on this particular day, the spirits of the dead got to fulfil one final wish before moving on to the Unseen World to rest. According to tradition, passed down from generation to generation, those in the Seen World would disguise their appearance on that day, to avoid getting attacked by spirits seeking vengeance against them. Death often changed things, sometimes corrupting spirits, turning them into something twisted and vengeful.

Despite no longer being flesh and blood, the spirits could easily lash out at those who were. This was not always the case, but even so, the spirits no longer retained their human-like forms when returning to the Seen World on this day. Their appearance changed according to the feelings within their souls at the time, and hence the need for those still living to change their appearance as well to blend in.

And that day was today.

Similar to Wintersday before it, the moment Team NORA caught wind of the holiday, news of it spread like wild fire. Soon enough, it became a whole town affair with decorations and goodies (including pumpkins and candy), and by the end of the afternoon, a town wide party was in the works for the night, with enough booze to drown an Adamantoise. Not being the type to turn down a party, Fang and Vanille were quick to convince the rest of the family to join in the festivities (costumes and all), including Lightning (all due to Fang's extra prodding). And that is why Lightning currently wore the valkyrie-like armor which Etro had pranked her with so many months before.

"Fang, if that hand goes any lower, I swear to the Maker, not even Bahamut will be able to save you."

A glare.

"Aww, yer no fun Light."

Chibi Odin shook his head, giving Chibi Bahamut a look. The other chibi merely shrugged his shoulders before turning back to both of their battle partners. It never ceased to amaze the mini dragon Eidolon how the smooth, flawless metal of Lightning's suit of armor shone in the dimmest of lights, the trail of feather's down Lightning's left side completing her goddess-like look. Chibi Bahamut couldn't but smile at that, knowing it was probably Caius (under his mother's bidding) who ended up polishing the thing for hours on end. That man certainly deserved the punishment. No one _BUT_ Chibi Bahamut could take his form after all. Fang wasn't in costume yet, but Chibi Bahamut knew his battle partner was planning something really good.

"My definition of fun is clearly not the same as yours," Lightning said, suppressing a growl. "And if you wish to continue having fun, Fang, with all of your limbs intact, I suggest you move that hand away right now, or lose it!"

"C'mon Lightbug!" Fang said. "Lighten up!"

Another cold glare.

A chuckle.

"No pun intended," Fang said, realizing what she had said. The Pulsian continued to speak, unfazed. "But ya can't deny how gorgeous ya look, Light. Who wouldn't want ta get their hands on ya."

"_Fang._"

"Alright, alright," Fang said removing the offending limb and taking a step back. "I know when ta stop."

Lightning gave the other woman a sceptical look, but nevertheless was relieved to get her personal space back. "I appreciate it-"

Then Fang leaned in and kissed Lightning on the cheek.

"Ya really do look beautiful in that, Light," Fang said with a genuine smile. The Pulsian watched as a stunned and blushing Lightning raised a gloved hand to her cheek.

"So are ya up for a threesome wit' me an' Vanille after the party tonight?"

A roar.

"_FANG!_"

Fang quickly found herself running out the door, laughing, with a raging yet blushing Lightning brandishing a gunblade right behind her.

* * *

By the time the sun went down, the party was in full swing. Alcohol flowed as freely as water (with the exception for the kids who got fruit juices of various kinds), music, laughter and dance now the focus of everyone in New Oerba. Before things really got started however, the former l'Cies took their battle partners out for Guising, something both Fang and Vanille said was quite popular back in their day. It was supposed to appease the spirits (especially the twisted ones) somehow, though Lightning wasn't sure if she believed that or not. Vanille had been a bit too happy when it came down to explaining that fact. Nevertheless, the gang walked the Chibis around town for their candy collection and everyone had a blast. Now they were all at Lebreau's bar, enjoying the rest of the night.

"V-Vanille? Is that you?"

"Oh my gosh Hope! You look great!"

Hope Estheim blushed at the compliment, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. The silver haired teen sported the same yellow and white long sleeve jacket, light grey pants and black boots he was forced to wear months ago, a blue necktie around his neck and black leather gloves with metal knuckles on his hands.

Surprisingly, after Etro had her fun with her wardrobe prank day, she didn't take back the outfits from the former l'Cies, leaving them to wonder what they should do with them. Hope kept his, his reasoning being that it was a nice outfit to grow into later. The actual truth of the matter was that Vanille had said it looked good on him, and when Vanille said things, Hope listened.

"T-thank you," a bashful Hope said, trying to fight the ever increasing blush on his cheeks. That and keeping his eyes solely on the redhead's face.

Vanille, unlike her usual self, wore only a bright yellow bra tonight. Very short tan shorts covered her rear, clinging tightly to her curves. A blue bandana held back red hair, some strands braided with beads and ribbons, hanging down the sides of her face. On her arms were arm length sleeves which were seemly made up of a line of white bows, matching the pair of white boots on her feet which completed her sexy look.

"You look... pretty... uh... I mean you look pretty cool too," Hope stuttered, starting to sweat the longer the conversation went on.

On a table near by, Chibi Hecatoncheir and Chibi Alexander watched their battle partners in amusement while snacking on some popcorn. Vanille's outfit was all Chibi Hecatoncheir's idea, of course (or so he proclaimed), the earth Eidolon puffing his chest out proudly. Chibi Alexander just nodded at his fellow mini Eidolon, not really hearing what he was saying, his attention on his battle partner as the boy continued to stumble on words. He and Hope had spent a good deal of time before coming here, rehearsing what Hope would say to the others when the time came. But all of that was for naught it seemed, as one look at Vanille threw everything out the window. Chibi Alexander sighed. His battle partner was hopeless sometimes.

"Well hello there, mini Sazh," Snow said, greeting the latecomers to the already thriving party. "Glad you all could make it.

The one in question turned to the other with him, tugging on the taller one's sleeve. "You hear that Daddy?" Dajh said with childish excitement. "Snow thought I was you!" A giggle. Chibi Brynhildr, who was standing next to Dajh, giggled too.

"That he did, Son," Sazh said, fondly patting his child on the head. Tonight, Dajh was dressed up as a smaller version of him, including the green coat and dark leather boots, all the way down to the chocobo chick in his hair. After some convincing, Feeve agreed to take up residence in Dajh's hair for the night. All it took really was some extra Gysahl Greens.

"Snow," Sazh said giving the blonde behemoth a nod. "Aren't you a little old to be playing dress up?"

Snow chuckled.

At first, Sazh hadn't recognized the blonde. Unlike his usual look, Snow wore a black sleeveless zip up turtleneck, complete with baggy black pants and what Sazh assumed to be steel toed black leather boots. On Snow's left shoulder was a pauldron made out of thick black leather, connected to that, a variety of straps which held other accessory pieces of the outfit closer to his body. Blonde hair was spiked, more so than usual, absent of the beanie which typically held it in place. And strapped to Snow's back was also a massive sword, the biggest Sazh had ever seen before. It wasn't until Snow spoke did Sazh realize it was him.

"What? No dress up for you?"

Sazh shook his head smiling. "I'm too old for that."

"But not me!" Dajh said, giggling again.

"That's right!" Snow said, laughing also.

"Hi Sazh!" came a cheerful voice over all the noise of Lebreau's packed bar. Serah wrapped her arms around Snow's left arm, absolutely beaming as she joined the group.

"Serah," Sazh said with another smile. Brown eyes quickly caught sight of pink and gold, Sazh easily recognizing Serah's outfit from the day Etro pranked the rest of his family's wardrobe. That day was hard to forget, especially considering just how shocked he'd been when the goddess turned Feeve human, and a strikingly beautiful woman no less.

"Oh?" Serah said, noticing the youngest Katzroy and his costume. She smiled. "And who's this?"

Dajh smiled brightly. "I'm Daddy!" he said, pride in his voice.

Serah feigned surprise. "Dajh?" she said, pretending to be shocked. "I didn't even realize that was you. Your costume looks great!"

Dajh laughed before movement floor side caught his attention. "Oh Sti and Nyx!" he exclaimed, when the twin mini Eidolons came into view. "Hi!" Dajh waved excitedly.

Both of the mini ice Eidolons waved, sliding across the floor as if they floated, like they normally did. They also waved to their sister, Chibi Brynhildr waving back to them.

"I see the gang is all here," Sazh commented, casually scanning the room, noting the others in various costumes. Even Lightning. That was a shock.

"Yeah," Snow said, also looking around. "Who knew this would be so popular?"

"Say Snow," Serah said, frowning as she too looked around.

"Yeah babe?" Snow wrapped an arm around his fiance's shoulders.

Serah smiled at the feeling of her fiance's arm around her. But then her frowned returned again when her current question came back to mind. "Where's Siren?"

Snow blinked. "Wasn't she with you?"

"I gave her to you to watch, remember?" Serah said, her frown deepening. "Lebreau needed help with passing out the drinks."

"Oh yeah!" Snow said, remembering that exchange. "I was holding her when Sazh came in and left her with Hope to come greet them."

That being said, everyone's attention turned to the silver haired teen, only to find him totally engrossed in conversation with Vanille. Chibi Siren was nowhere in sight.

"Um..." Snow said, worry starting to set in. "Maybe I didn't leave her with Hope then."

Serah swallowed nervously. "If not Hope, then who?"

Snow pulled nervously at his collar. "Umm..."

* * *

Chibi Siren happily crawled across the well used wooden floorboards of Lebreau's Bar, deftly weaving between people's feet. Despite not seeing her, not one patron stepped on the smallest of Etro's children, the mini Eidolon completely unscathed as she journey halfway across the crowded bar towards one specific person.

"Oh my," the said person murmured when Chibi Siren tugged on her shoe. "Did you come all this way to see me?"

Chibi Siren nodded, smiling.

The woman, who looked to be in her early forties, smiled back. She easily picked up Chibi Siren off the floor and held her like any experienced mother would. "That's very sweet of you, little one."

Chibi Siren giggled. She had caught sight of the woman at the start of the night, the woman standing off to the side as she watched the festivities. No one seemed to notice her, especially the heartbreaking look the woman wore as she gazed at two very specific people amongst the crowd. But Chibi Siren did. The stranger had hair as pink as Chibi Siren's battle partner, her brother's battle partner too. That was probably an important detail in discerning the woman's identity, Chibi Siren knew, but the chibi really didn't care about that. Not really. The woman looked so sad, and so, Chibi Siren decided to keep her company.

A squeak.

The woman patted Chibi Siren on the head, stroking her wing-like hair tenderly. "Maybe some day little one," she said. "But for, this will be enough."

"She couldn't have gone far, Serah," Snow's booming voice said over top the noise of the crowd. Just a few feet away, amongst the mass of people was Snow and a very distressed Serah. "I'll look on this side, and you look over there."

The mysterious woman looked down at the mini Eidolon in her hands, nodding in the direction of the youngest Farron. "I think she's looking for you."

Another squeak.

"Alright."

* * *

"Serah."

Serah's head popped up at the sound of her name, watery blue eyes catching sight of the speaker soon after. It shouldn't have been possible, Serah hearing this person. The bar was already rowdy with happily drunk customers, and the word had been but a whisper. Nevertheless, Serah pushed those thoughts aside when the person, who turned out to be a very pretty woman with strawberry blonde hair not unlike her own, beckoned her forward. Without hesitation, Serah forced her way through the crowded bar to meet with her. The smaller pinkette quickly broke down into tears when she realized who was in the woman's arms.

"Siren!" Serah exclaimed, hugging Chibi Siren tightly after taking her from the stranger. "I was so worried!" The mini Eidolon merely patted her face comfortingly, making unintelligible baby noises.

"My apologies, Serah," the woman said. "This little one felt I could use some company and found her way to me. This was my fault."

Serah looked at the strangely familiar woman in surprise before smiling and shaking her head. It should have struck her as strange, at how comfortable she felt in this person's presence. It was like Serah had known her all life, but Serah just met her.

"No, no," the youngest Farron said, wiping away her tears. "This was all my fault." A sniffle. "I should have been watching her more closely."

The stranger smiled. "Is she your daughter?"

Serah laughed, blushing furiously at the thought. "No, no. Not... exactly..." she said, looking down at Chibi Siren. The little one smiled back at her.

"She's so well behaved," the mysterious woman commented, seeing the loving look in Serah's eyes. "You've raised her well. I'm very proud of you, Serah."

"T-thank you," the smallest pinkette said, her heart truly warmed by the woman's words. She didn't know why, but Serah knew this woman somehow.

"Seeeerah!" came a booming voice over the crowd. Snow, undoubtedly. Serah turned to look for the blonde behemoth.

The woman laughed. "Seems like your fiance is looking for you," she said. "He's a bit intimidating the first time you meet him, but he looks like a good guy, the type that would treat a woman well."

"Yeah," Serah giggled, watching as Snow almost bowled over a few people on his way over to her. "He's a handful at times, but that's my Hero."

"I approve and am happy for you," the stranger said.

A warm hand on Serah's shoulder.

"Anyhow, I should probably head back and grab my husband before he causes any trouble. Knowing him, he's harassing your sister about getting a boyfriend for herself."

Serah laughed, her back still to the woman with matching coloured hair. "Again? Claire's going to-"

Blue eyes went wide. Wait what?!

Serah spun around to face the woman again, only to find her gone, as if she never existed in the first place. Looking around bewildered, she didn't even notice when Snow came up behind her, until he put his hands on her shoulders making her jump.

"Oh thank the Maker you found her!" Snow said, clearly relieved that Chibi Siren was found. The moment he was realized she was missing, Snow thought his heart stopped.

"S-Snow!" Serah said, jumping in surprise.

"Woah! Easy there babe," Snow said, his hands up in front of him. "Didn't mean to scare you there. Serah? You alright? You look really pale."

"Did you see where that woman went? The one I was talking to just now?"

Snow scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What woman, Serah? You were the only one here."

Serah turned around to look at the spot next to her again. "That can't be..."

* * *

"Spill it, Farron."

A sigh.

"What is it I should be spilling, Sir?" Lightning certainly hoped it was not her drink. Lebreau wouldn't be happy with that.

Sergeant Lightning Farron currently sat at the far end of Lebreau's bar, nursing her second beer for the night. Next to her on her left was Captain Amodar, her commanding officer also enjoying the night with some alcohol, his cheeks already a rosy colour. But he was not drunk. Amodar was quite sober in fact. Even so, Lightning couldn't but wish he wasn't. Then perhaps she'd be able to forgo this line of questioning.

"How in the Maker did Serah get you to wear a costume like that?"

Lightning laughed, before knocking back a mouthful of alcohol. "That's kind of a personal question, don't you think, Sir?" She smiled.

Amodar chuckled to himself, not the least bit deterred. "Sergeant, in all my years of knowing you, I've never seen you in a dress, far-a-less something like that. Did Cocoon fall out of the sky again or something?"

"Nothing so dramatic," Lightning replied a soft blush on her cheeks. It was hard to tell if that colour was from the alcohol or something else, but the good Captain didn't seem to notice it.

"Don't worry, Captain," Lightning said. "I'm well able to take care of myself should this... costume... attract unwanted attention."

Captain Amodar laughed again. "Unwanted attention, huh?" He took a swig from his bottle before nodding to Lightning's right. "You mean like that fellow over there?"

Lightning followed her superior's gaze, landing on the one in question. Ah yes, that guy. Lightning noticed him the moment she walked into Lebreau's establishment and sat down at the bar. The guy wore what looked to be tight fitting leather armor, a navy colour with highlights of violet. Greaves, gauntlets, shoulder guards, the whole shebang including a half helm which covered the top half of his face. The helm itself was shaped like a dragon's head, black unruly hair flowing down the man's back from the back of it. Piercing emerald eyes had been staring at her the whole time, and only at her.

Lightning sighed.

"Seems like you've got quite the admirer over there," a slightly deeper voice said next to the pinkette.

"Tell me something I don't know," Lightning commented, before taking another gulp of beer. She turned back to Amodar, only to find it was not her captain sitting next to her anymore, but another man. He had familiar, striking blue eyes.

"The Captain just went to the restroom," the man said, Lightning nodding at him.

It should have surprised Lightning, made her pause to be suddenly joined by this random stranger. But it didn't. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew it was strange to feel comfortable in this man's presence, as she usually was wary when in the company of people she didn't know. For some reason, it was like she had been joined by a long lost old friend, one she knew all of her life. So Lightning turned her gaze back to the other who had been watching from across the packed room.

"Your boyfriend?"

Lightning laughed at that, almost choking on her current sip of beer. "Hardly," she said once regaining her composure. "This is the first time I've ever seen him."

"Good," the man next to her said, nodding. Lightning could see the man's head bobbing next to her in her peripherals.

"I would hate to have to bring out my rifle so soon. No one dare lay a hand on my little girl without my approval first. And yours, of course, too." A wink.

Lightning found herself shaking her head, smiling, a peaceful feeling settling within her chest. "Behave," she said, giving her present company a look.

"What?" the man said, feigning innocence. "It's like a universal rule somewhere."

Lightning shook her head again.

"How about this little one then?"

The man motioned to Chibi Odin, the mini Eidolon sitting on the bar in front of Lightning, munching on some snacks. When he realized he was being watched, Chibi Odin looked up, immediately saluting the man next to Lightning. The pinkette quirked an eyebrow.

Chibi Odin only usually saluted Lightning. Aside from that, Amodar was the only exception. It was as if everyone else (except for her extended family) weren't worthy enough of such respect. That was Lightning's reasoning at least. To see him salute the man next to her, Lightning couldn't but feel a bit happy about it somehow.

"At ease, soldier," the stranger said with a chuckle, saluting the mini Eidolon back.

Lightning smiled proudly at Chibi Odin.

"You taught him really well, kiddo."

Lightning felt her cheeks warm up a bit. "Thanks," she said. The soldier continued to look at her mini battle partner. He smiled at her.

"I know things started out a bit rough, without us around I mean," the man said. "But I'm proud of you. You really pulled things together and raised your sister well beyond our expectations."

Lightning swallowed thickly, blinking back the tears she felt forming in the corner of her eyes. It felt like an incredible weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders, something she didn't think would ever be possible since her parents' deaths. Chibi Odin rubbed her gloved hand soothingly.

A pat on Lightning's back.

"Anyhow, I need to get going. I'm sure your mother is already hunting for me, waiting to chew me out for ruining love life."

Lightning chuckled, wiping away a stray tear from her eye. "That sounds like something she would-"

Lightning froze momentarily, her head immediately whipping to the side a split second later to look at the man. The bar stool next to her was empty. Lightning turned to look at Chibi Odin again with wide eyes.

"Hey Sunshine. Lookin' good."

Lightning jumped at this new voice, the pinkette quickly turning to her right, finding herself face to face with the 'man' who had been watching her all night. He was sitting on the bar stool next to her, leaning forward against the bar. "F-F-Fang?!"

Fang laughed long and hard at her companion's reaction. "In the flesh," the Pulsian said. "Didn't realize it was me at first, did ya?"

Lightning could only stare at her companion, in shock. "Uhh..."

"I'm dressed as Kain Highwind," Fang said, seeing Lightning's expression. "He was a legendary member of the Yun clan before the whole mess wit' the fal'Cies an' such. It was said he could literally leap from mountain ta mountain in a single jump."

A blink.

"Right."

Lightning looked back to the seat next on her left, her mind still in turmoil. How many drinks had she had so far? Was she drunk already?

"Ya alright there, Lightbug?" Fang asked noticing her friend's distraction. "Ya don't look so good."

Lightning looked back at Fang. "I-"

"Claire!"

Both Fang and Lightning turned just in time to see a frazzled Serah rush up to them. "I-" Serah paused to catch her breath and laughed wearily. Her next few words came out as a rush of air. "Ireallydon'tknowhowtosaythis, but-"

"Woah! Slow down mini Light," Fang said. The Pulsian looked between the sisters. "Did somethin' happen? Ya both look like ya saw a ghost or somethin'."

Serah and Lightning shared a look, both of them feeling how the other looked. But before either of them could say something, movement out of the corner of their eyes caught their attention. Both of them turned to their mini Eidolons. Chibi Siren and Chibi Odin were waving to someone. Following their battle partners' line of sight, a gasp escaped Serah's lips. Lightning on the other hand, stood up from the bar stool, her half finished drink forgotten.

At the door to Lebreau's Bar was the woman with strawberry blonde hair and the man with striking blue eyes. They were on their way out. As if sensing they were being watched, both of them turned back and smiled at the Farron sisters.

Serah felt her eyes water, Lightning wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders, pulling her close. The soldier swallowed down the lump in her throar before raising her own hand up to wave too. Serah waved shortly afterwards.

"Who's that?" Fang asked, standing next to the pinkettes.

The Pulsian also saw the older couple at the door, the pair soon after continuing on their way, stepping into the cool night and... vanishing into thin air. The lancer blinked. She must have been a bit more tipsy than she thought. Fang rubbed her eyes. People certainly didn't disappear like that. Maybe it was the beer. Just what in Etro's name did Lebreau put in that stuff?

"Light? Serah? Ya alright?" Fang asked, noticing the unusual silence of the Farron sisters. Serah had her head on Lightning's shoulder, the youngest Farron sniffling noticeably.

"We're alright," Lightning replied, her voice soft with hidden emotion.

Fang looked to Chibi Odin, the mini Eidolon merely smiling at her like nothing was wrong. Chibi Siren didn't seem to notice anything wrong either, the smallest of the Eidolons waving at Fang happily.

"Fang."

The huntress looked up at the sound of her name. "Yeah Light?" Chibi Bahamut landed on Fang's shoulder, a curious look in his eyes.

"Thanks."

Fang was completely enraptured by the soft smile on Lightning's face, a look so peaceful, one of which Fang had never seen on the soldier before. Emerald eyes met sapphire ones.

"Thanks for convincing me to come tonight."

* * *

_A/N: The idea that Halloween was a Pulsian event has been written about in many fanfics before. I'm not sure who came up with the idea first, but it certainly wasn't me. :P_

_Feeve is the name of the Dajh's chocobo chick. It was coined in my "__Tainted Fal'Cie__"__ fanfiction._

_Kain Highwind is in no way related to Fang, though there has been speculation that he was the one her character was based off of._

_For those of you who weren't sure who dressed up as who, see the list below:_

_Lightning as Herself from FFXIII-2._

_Serah as Herself from FFXIII-2._

_Snow as Cloud Strife from the FFVII AC movie._

_Sazh did not dress up._

_Dajh as Sazh Katzroy from FFXIII._

_Hope as Himself in FFXIII-2._

_Fang as Kain Highwind from FFIV._

_Vanille as Rikku from FFX-2._

_There was no particular reason why I chose our favorite heroes' costumes like this. That just seemed like a good fit at the time of writing this chapter._

_On an interesting note, back in the day, turnips were used for carving instead of pumpkins. That changed later on of course, as we now carve pumpkins in today's day and age._

_For those of you not familiar with the turn "Guising", that's just another way to say "Trick-or-Treating". You can find out more about that here (take out the spaces): ____ (h t t p) _: / / en . wikipedia wiki / Trick - or - treating

_For more information on Halloween, check out this link (take out the spaces):__ (h t t p) : _ / / en . wikipedia wiki / Halloween

_And if you didn't figure it out, the two mysterious strangers were Light and Serah's parents. :)_


	7. The Misadventures of Bahamut and Hecaton

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__: __And__ finally __the __next __chapter __is __here! __And early! __Whoo! __Thanks __everyone __for __your __patience._

_Grrr FFnet! Stop deleting my formatting and taking out spaces between words! Stop duplicating words! O_o  
_

_Please forgive the shameless plug, but for those of you who haven't seen this already, check out my latest video for Lightning Returns (take out the extra spaces and brackets): (w) (w) (w) . (youtube) . (c) (o) (m) / watch?v=1eceNVjvwPY _

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ Riku91 __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __Admittedly, __I __was __a __bit __worried __what __people __would __think __of __everyone's __costumes, __specifically __Snow, __Fang __and __Vanille's, __but __everything __turned __out __great __in __the __end. __For __halloween, __I __myself __cosplayed __as __the __character __Tali __Zorah __from __the __Mass __Effect __series __of __games. __It __was __a __lot __of __fun, __which __is __partially __why __I __wanted __to __write __a __halloween __themed __chapter __too. __:) __On __another __note, __for __the __longest __time, __I've __been __wanting __to __give __Lightning __and __Serah __that __sense __of __closure __when __it __came __to __their __parents. __Ever __since __the __first __game, __that __has __been __nagging __at __me __like __an __unscratchable __itch. __I __was __very __happy __to __finally __have __sorted __that __out._

_ tlrc__ - __Thanks __for __the __review. __I __can __see __how __Caius __could __have __been __interpreted. __I __specifically __didn't __want __him __ruining __the __fun __of __things, __so __I __left __him __out __of __this __chapter __despite __other __people __asking __for __me __to __bring __him __back __in __the __series. __Fear __not __readers, __you __will __see __Caius __again. __Eventually. __XD_

_ Sage __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __I'm __sorry __to __hear __about __your __grandparents. __I __hope __that __you __did __get __your __closure __with __them. __*hugs* __It __was __a __bit __of __sad __chapter __to __write, __but __I __feel __I __really __needed __to __write __it. __For __the __characters __especially. __Thankfully, __everything __turned __out __well. __:)_

_ MasterPro __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __That __kind __of __sucks, __what __your __mayor __did. __Oh __well.__ That __certainly __doesn't __stop __you __for __Guising, __now __does __it? __XD __I __haven't __given __any __further __thought __to __what __other __holidays__ our __favorite __heroes __(and __chibis) __will __experience, __but __when __I __do, __I'll __certainly __consider __Thanksgiving. __:)_

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ The Misadventures of Bahamut and Hecatoncheir ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ Yun and Dia __family __chibis)_

They were in trouble.

The moment Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir heard footsteps walking in their direction, they knew they were in so much trouble.

"_Huh," _Fang's voice said, nearing the bathroom. Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir were currently inside, Fang and Vanille heading there from the family room.

"_Sounds like they're in the dunny. Takin' a shower, maybe?"_

Vanille's laugh floated through the air. _"I doubt that." _Another giggle. _"You forget? Hecaton doesn't like water so much."_

There was a mad scramble at the door before Fang walked through unhindered. The Pulsian stopped dead in her tracks upon sight of the mini Eidolons.

"Etro... help me."

* * *

_~ Half __an__ hour __ago ~  
_

Chibi Bahamut was bored. The mini dragon sat on the couch, watching as both Fang and Vanille rushed around the place in a panic. Well, Vanille was rushing around in a panic. Fang was rushing around stressed out because Vanille was rushing around in a panic.

"Oh my gosh!" Vanille exclaimed. "I can't believe I forgot that was today!"

Chibi Hecatoncheir watched in mild amusement from the dinner table as his battle practically tore up the house looking for a stray article of clothing.

"What did you do with it, Fang!?" Vanille accused, yanking open the coat closet in search of her quarry. "Did you hide it again?"

"What?" Fang said, visibly offended. "I have done no such thin'! Why would I?"

Vanille gave the other Pulsian a look. "I know very well of your aversion to formal wear, Fang."

"Hey now!" Fang huffed. "Jus' because I don't like dressin' up like a floozy doesn't mean I did anythin' wit' that horrible dress."

The garment in question was not actually a dress, but a more formal looking sari. Just like Lightning, Fang too had a favourite outfit she almost always wore on a daily basis, that being her regular blue silk sari. So when Vanille managed to find something else her partner would wear willingly, the redhead bought it without hesitation, silently patting herself on the back for bringing Fang one step closer towards true womanhood.

After the initial surprise of her choice wore off, because of what it stood for and what it represented, Fang soon grew to hate that new sari with a passion. First of all, it was too much material, hampering her movement (or so she complained often). Second, the patterns printed on it reminded her of a fal'Cie brand. Third, the designers must have killed so many Silver Lobos just for their skin to make this outfit, wasting the rest. And so on, and so on.

The huntress' complaints were unending. It got so bad once that Fang went so far as to hide the sari when another formal event popped up requiring their presence. So why not dispose of the garment? Because of one thing. Vanille. The redhead would know the moment Fang did such a thing, which would leave Fang in even deeper trouble than before.

"So you did think it was horrible!"

Chibi Bahamut sighed.

Today was a very special day. Today was the day one year ago many peoples' lives were changed forever. Today was the anniversary of the day that Cocoon fell out of the sky and the reign of the fal'Cies ended. And to celebrate this occasion, all of Gran Pulse's inhabitants were putting on a grand party, with the former l'Cies as their honoured guests.

Coincidentally, this was one of the few days of the year Vanille could get Fang willingly into a dress. And Vanille was sure as hell not about to let this opportunity slip by. Which is why she was currently tearing their place apart in search of Fang's errant formal wear.

"Of course it's horrible!" Fang said in exasperation. She threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't even know how people walk in that thin' wit'out trippin' on it!"

"But you said you liked that dress when we bought it!" Vanille protested, clearly shocked and hurt by her partner's admission.

Fang flinched, the last surviving Dia's downtrodden look striking her worse than a stab through the heart.

Chibi Bahamut could only sympathize with his battle partner right now. Like Fang, Chibi Bahamut too was not much into the girly things, so to speak. He didn't know how Chibi Hecatonchier did it, survive the girly wrath of Vanille. There were times Vanille would go overboard and dress her battle partner up in really poofy, frilly things. Things which made Chibi Bahamut cringe. But Chibi Hecatoncheir wore it like a champ, and proudly showed off such things, making Vanille smile.

"Vanille, I..."

Tears threatened to fall, Chibi Bahamut wincing at his battle partner's predicament. It wasn't like Fang hated the dress just to spite Vanille. It was simply that their tastes in fashion differed. Thankfully, before the situation could spiral downhill even further, Hope burst through the door in a frazzle.

"Fang! Vanille!" The silver haired boy stopped two steps past the threshold of the front door upon sight of the Pulsians. "Umm... did I... interrupt something?"

Before anyone could answer, a loud roar shattered the awkward air, followed by screaming.

"What in the Maker was that?" Fang exclaimed, already heading towards her lance which was propped up against the wall next to the door.

"That is a Pink Lily rummaging through town," Hope stated calmly, staring outside. Vanille stood next to Hope, her staff in hand.

"Is that-"

"Yes," Hope said, his jaw clenched. "It's the same one as last time."

Fang growled, remembering exactly what happened the last time. So did Vanille, the redhead nearly snarling her words.

"I think it's about time we chased it out for good!" Vanille said, such vehemence in her voice.

Both Fang and Hope looked at her in shock, blinking for a few seconds before they recovered.

"Let's go." Fang nodded in the direction of the door. "I'm hungry for some turtle soup."

A look back at the chibis.

"Yuh two hold down the fort until we get back."

* * *

Chibi Bahamut was not impressed. After their battle partners dashed off to save the day like usual, Chibi Hecatoncheir took it upon himself to find Fang's wayward sari. As it turned out, the garment was actually tucked way under one of the lancer's regular blue outfits hanging up in her closet. Chibi Bahamut vaguely remembered that happening because they were out of clothes hangers at the time of purchase. It seemed everyone but Chibi Hecatoncheir forgot about that. Or his friend was just lucky in his search. (It was pretty insane how good Chibi Hecatoncheir was at finding lost objects).

A squeak.

Chibi Hecatoncheir turned to look at Chibi Bahamut. Being just as adverse to silly looking clothes as his battle partner, Chibi Bahamut was not about to let Chibi Hecatoncheir ruin Fang's night tonight. So he asked for the dress.

A shake of the head.

But Chibi Hecatoncheir was not in the mood to share it seemed.

Another squeak.

Chibi Bahamut narrowed his eyes at Chibi Hecatoncheir. The mini earth Eidolon glared back.

Chibi Hectaoncheir shook his head again. He was not going to give up the dress. Vanille loved the dress, especially how it looked on Fang. And he was not about to let Chibi Bahamut make his battle partner cry by ruining the dress like he knew the other chibi wanted to.

The two tiny Eidolons glowered at each other, showdown style.

Chibi Bahamut stood up on Fang and Vanille's bed, squaring his shoulders to Chibi Hecatoncheir. Chibi Hecatoncheir rolled the dress up in his hands like a ball and held it close to his body. He was currently standing on the floor, in front of the Pulsian's shared walk-in closet.

Chibi Bahamut glared harder.

Chibi Hecatoncheir glared harder.

A squeak.

Another squeak.

And then they moved.

Chibi Bahamut switched into gestalt mode and took off towards Chibi Hecatoncheir like a rocket. To his credit, Chibi Hecatoncheir saw the move coming and switched into gestalt mode too, firing dust clouds around him to cover his escape. There was the unspoken rule in the Yun Dia household, one of which prevented the chibis from using their real powers indoor. The duo learned about that rule the hard way, just days after they were dropped off by Etro the first time. The said incident occurred during bath time, one of Gran Pulse's resident household arachnids deciding to pay the chibi earth Eidolon a visit.

Chibi Hecatoncheir would be the first to agree that anything with more than four legs (himself not included), was a very scary sight, one of which Vanille would also attest to. So really, it wasn't his fault for being startled when the small, beady-eyed, multi-legged critter landed on his head. The moment Chibi Bahamut heard Chibi Hecatoncheir's guns going off inside the bathroom instead of water splashes, the mini black dragon immediately zipped inside to his friend's aid, firing off an Umbral Vice.

They levelled the spider, along with the rest of the Yun Dia bathroom in less than a minute.

Vanille was not pleased.

To show her displeasure, the redhead made the chibis repair the bathroom tediously by hand, under her harsh glare, with no powers, until it was back to how it was before. Never again would they allow that to happen. So they used alternate and unorthodox methods of combat.

Chibi Bahamut used the gust of wind which accompanied his Aerial Loop to clear the dust laden air, careful to ensure his razor sharp wings didn't slice through anything they shouldn't have. By the time the dust was blown away, Chibi Hecatonchier was out of sight and long gone. That is, until Chibi Bahamut heard scrambling footsteps tear into the adjoining bathroom. Crimson coloured eyes caught sight of red and green as a blurred form zip through the bathroom doors.

The chase was on.

* * *

Chibi Hecatoncheir was in trouble.

The moment he found Fang's formal wear, he should have known better than to tell Chibi Bahamut about it. But how could he not? Chibi Bahamut was his best buddy, his brother. Surely the mini dragon Eidolon would be just as overjoyed as Vanille would be (when she found out later) that he recovered Fang's stray dress?

Nope.

Quite the opposite in fact. Chibi Bahamut was now on the war path, doing everything he could to snatch Fang's dress out of Chibi Hecatoncheir's hands and destroy it. Chibi Hecatoncheir really should have known better than to think the lancer's battle partner would be any different than her. They were like dogs, or so Chibi Hecatoncheir was told. Owner and pet (or in this case, battle partner and chibi Eidolon) often mirrored each other. In more ways than one. It seemed both Fang and Chibi Bahamut shared a disgust for fine fashion. And hence the situation Chibi Hecatoncheir found himself in now.

At the sound of Chibi Bahamut's wings flapping into the bathroom after him, Chibi Hecatoncheir scrambled up the toilet before jumping onto the sink counter top to the left of it. To the left of the sink was a window, and right now, the only means Chibi Hecatoncheir had in escaping his possessed friend. Vanille was going to be overjoyed when she learned he found Fang's dress. And nothing was going to prevent him from seeing her smile again. But it seemed Chibi Bahamut had other ideas.

Something akin to a flash bang grenade went off next to Chibi Hecatoncheir, dazing the earth mini Eidolon. As the multi-armed chibi sought to regain his senses, the dress was tugged from his hands, the sound of Chibi Bahamut's laughing victory echoing in his ears.

Chibi Hecatoncheir was not done yet.

In an act of desperation, Chibi Hecatoncheir blindly grabbed at the air around him, managing to snag something tangible. Chibi Bahamut's tail. The mini dragon squeaked uncharacteristically when he felt a yank. Turning to look back over his shoulder, he found Chibi Hecatoncheir, holding onto his tail for all he was worth. Chibi Bahamut roared, swivelling left and right in the air trying to lose his annoyance, flapping his wings hard. In his distraction, the mini dragon Eidolon forgot all about what was in front of him and the duo, along with Fang's dress, careened head first into the bag of supplies left on the sink's opposite corner. Fang and Vanille had just come back from grocery shopping, setting down the supplies on the sink counter for unpacking. They never got that far for the emergency happened and before that, the frantic search for Fang's dress.

_CRASH!_

Bottles of shampoo and conditioner, tubes of toothpaste and a bottle of bleach went flying, everything falling into a scattered heap on the bathroom floor. Amongst them was Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir, and Fang's formal sari.

An annoyed squeak.

Chibi Bahamut huffed in annoyance, pushing a tube of toothpaste off of his head. He glared at Chibi Hecatoncheir, the other mini Eidolon half buried under a bottle of Chocobolina Whoo Hoo shampoo. That was the actual name of the shampoo, yes.

Another squeak, this one angry.

Chibi Hecatoncheir kicked the bottle of shampoo off of himself and glared back at the mini dragon Eidolon. If Chibi Bahamut thought he was going to pin all the blame for this one on him, he had another thing coming to him.

_WHACK!_

Chibi Bahamut blinked in complete shock, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Chibi Hecatoncheir smirked. The tiny dragon Eidolon couldn't believe what just happened. The other chibi had thrown a shampoo bottle at him. Chibi Hecatoncheir had thrown the Chocobolina Whoo Hoo shampoo bottle at him!

The plastic shampoo bottle itself, while taller than both Eidolons and just as heavy, bounced off of Chibi Bahamut's head without causing injury. But that wasn't the point. Chibi Hecatoncheir had thrown the bottle at him. And that was a declaration of war! So, over the course of the next five minutes, the Yun Dia bathroom was the battlefield of all out war.

Bottles of shampoo were thrown, only to be sliced in half. Tubes of toothpaste were hurled into the air, only to be shot down. And the bottle of bleach, it erupted like a geyser in Sulyya Springs when hit simultaneously by both Chibi Hecatoncheir's and Chibi Bahamut's signature moves. Screw the rules. When one's pride was at stake, it was better to shoot first and ask forgiveness later.

Five minutes and one second later, both mini Eidolons were left huffing, still glaring at each other. For another ten seconds, they remained so before both of them burst out laughing, only now having a good look at the other. Lines of blue and pink toothpaste streaked across the earth Eidolon's many arms, a glop of orange shampoo hanging off the side of Chibi Hecatoncheir's head like a wet, out of place toupee. Chibi Bahamut on the other hand, was almost fully covered with bright neon yellow shampoo, as if it were a second skin membrane of sorts, with a blob of green toothpaste sticking to his cheek. All in all, they both looked ridiculous.

Chibi Bahamut squeaked, nodding his head. It was a good fight and they were evenly matched. Chibi Hecatoncheir squeaked back, smiling proudly.

Then the door to the Yun Dia house opened and in followed the mini Eidolon's battle partners.

Fang exhaled loudly. "Thought that'd never be over!" The Pulsian flopped down on the couch, Kain's Lance propped up against the wall again.

A giggle. "We showed him, huh?" Vanille was beaming with accomplishment. She plopped down on the couch next to Fang and cuddled up against her.

"Yeah," Fang said, wrapping an arm around Vanille's shoulders. She winced slightly, her body sore from their bout with the Pink Lily. "Say, where do ya suppose the lil' ones got ta?"

"I don't know," Vanille said looking around the living room.

It was then Chibi Hecatoncheir squeaked, calling attention to both himself and Chibi Bahamut in the bathroom. But just as the sound left his lips, he froze, remembering what state he, Chibi Bahamut and the bathroom was in. Not to mention... Oh Etro... Fang's dress...

Chibi Bahamut followed Chibi Hecatoncheir's gaze and whooped in triumph. The chibi Eidolons faired very well considering the state of Fang's dress. Covered in shampoo, toothpaste, and bleach, the garment spotted a tie-dye sort of look with gloppy accessories. Not only did Fang and Vanille's brands of shampoos clean gunk out of hair, it washed out the colour from dresses, to varying degrees, as well. Fang would be pleased with his efforts, for Chibi Bahamut had successfully accomplished what he had set out to do. Then the rest of the bathroom came into view and Chibi Bahamut looked up to meet Chibi Hecatoncheir's gaze.

"Huh," Fang said, making her way towards the bathroom. "Sounds like they're in the dunny. Takin' a shower, maybe?"

Vanille laughed, walking next to her partner. "I doubt that," she said. The redhead giggled. "You forget? Hecaton doesn't like water so much."

The chibis started to panic, Chibi Hecatoncheir because of the state of the bathroom and Fang's dress, and Chibi Bahamut because of the state of the bathroom. Neither chibi had any desire to explain to their battle partners why the ceiling, walls and floor now sported shampoo, toothpaste and bleach as the new paint. If it was just them, they could get away with it. But for the rest of the bathroom, they could not.

As both sets of footsteps stopped at the open door, two things happened simultaneously. Chibi Bahamut scrambled to slam the door shut and Chibi Hecatoncheir nabbed Fang's ruined dress off the floor and dunked it in the toilet (the sink was too high and it would have taken too long to turn on the water). Unfortunately, Chibi Bahamut failed and wiped out at Fang's feet instead, having slipped on a glob of shampoo at the very last second.

"Etro... help me."

Both Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir looked up at their battle partners, smiling wearily as they did their best to feign innocence. They were in so much trouble.

* * *

As punishment for her battle partner's misdeeds, Fang was forced to wear the ruined dress (Vanille threw it into the washing machine and into dryer shortly afterwards) to the anniversary event. To everyone's surprise, it was a big hit with the people, Cocoonians soon after adopting Fang's unique fashion sense into the next current fad for clothing. There were multiple offers even, for the lancer to pose as a model in the next fashion show, to be held in the coming weeks. Fang politely declined all them of course, the embarrassment of wearing such a thing only for it to turn out to be a big hit not something she wanted to repeat.

As for Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir, they were forgiven for their little mishap.

That is, until their next adventure.

* * *

_**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Lol. Some of you were wondering about that whole "Sari and the Toilet" incident and here you have it. XD_

_For those of you who don't know, dunny is another word for bathroom._


	8. First Crush

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__:__ It is with great reluctance that I announce I'm changing the posting schedule for this fanfiction from every month to every two months. I feel like I'm starting to burn out on this piece but rather end it completely, I've decided to just space it out more. Updates after this chapter will take place every two months. Thanks for your understanding._

_Due to the content, expect some OOCness for our favorite heroes/heroines._

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ sage – Thanks for the comment. :) I haven't thought about a prank involving Lightning and Chibi Odin, but that's definitely something I'll consider for future if I decide to follow up on some more pranks. Hehe. _

_ Riku91 – Thanks for the review! :) Hehe, I think in general, all of the chibis are trouble makers, especially when their battle partners aren't paying attention. It's just a matter of how much trouble they allow themselves to be caught in. In this case, Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir kind of messed up and revealed too much. They learned their lesson though, so they know next time what to keep in mind. XD_

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ First Crush ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ former l'Cies family __chibis)_

"Vanille..."

A pause.

"Have ya noticed anythin'... different... about Bahamut lately?"

Oerba Dia Vanille looked up from the potted plant she was watering to gaze at her partner.

"Different?"

The redhead currently stood in the kitchen, the plant under her care sitting atop the windowsill above the sink. Chibi Hecatoncheir kneeled next to the plant, gently wiping its leaves clear of dust. Staring off into space, Vanille thought back to all the times she had been with the dragon Eidolon over the last couple of days, nothing in specific standing out to her as strange for the little one.

A shrug.

Vanille looked back to Fang. "Something wrong, love?"

Oerba Yun Fang frowned. With her feet propped up on the dining table, the Pulsian lancer slouched back in her chair, her hands behind her head, emerald green eyes staring unfocused at the ceiling.

"I dunno," Fang replied, distracted. "He jus' seems... well... Ta be honest, I dunno where he's been disappearin' ta as of late."

Vanille giggled, finding the crinkling of her partner's brow cute. "Maybe he's found himself a girlfriend."

"W-what?!"

At that exclamation, Fang's chair tipped back a bit too far, the Pulsian huntress crashing to the floor with a smack. A split second later, she was on her feet again, straightening herself out as if it never happened.

"What did ya jus' say?!"

Vanille laughed again, setting down her watering can on the counter. "Oh Fang," she said, her eyes filled with mirth. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

A scowl.

"I am not jealous, Vanille," Fang replied, nearly growling. "I'm... jus' concerned. For Bahamut. He ain't even - He's jus' a toddler!"

Another shrug.

"Maybe Bahamut's growing up." Vanille's smile widened exponentially when Fang cringed at that thought. Etro, she was having way too much fun with this.

Fang looked to the door. "Where's my spear?" she asked, scanning the room for her weapon. If she found Chibi Bahamut with... with... Oh there would be hell to pay! No one was going to corrupt her battle partner!

A giggle.

"Settle down, Fang." Vanille crossed the room to catch her partner by the arm. "I'm just teasing." The redhead stroked Fang's arm soothingly. "He's probably just getting ready for Valentine's Day."

"Vala... what?"

"Valentine's Day," Vanille repeated. "It's a Cocoon holiday." The youngest Dia sighed.

Sometimes Fang was so clueless.

Just like Gran Pulse, Cocoon had its fair share of holidays too. One such holiday was Valentine's Day. It was the only day of the year where one could show their undying affection for their loved ones or secret crushes without it being strange. With the Cocoonians having adapted to their new home on Gran Pulse, so too did their holidays (the relevant ones at least).

And Valentine's day, was just a week away.

"But what does that hafta do wit' Bahamut?"

Fang was not very happy. While she knew there would come a time for their battle partners to grow up and develop more mature interests, the Pulsian lancer couldn't but feel like a mother right now, having difficulty letting go of her son.

"Oh Fang," Vanille said, cuddling against her partner. "You're so cute when you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Fang cried out in indignation.

"Uh huh," Vanille commented, not believing a single word the huntress said. "It's okay, I still love you."

"Vanille!"

Vanille laughed.

* * *

_~ 3 days to Valentine's Day ~_

A squeak.

"Oh hey there, little guy."

Lebreau smiled, looking up from the datalogue in her hand to focus on her customer. She was currently leaning against the bar in her humble abode, doing a quick inventory check. It was the slow time of the day, less than a handful of people taking up residence in her bar. They were at a table at the far end of the room making barely any noise, leaving Lebreau bored out of her mind. Thankfully, Chibi Bahamut showed up to break her out of this monotony. The mini dragon Eidolon walked up to Lebreau on the bar, holding a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Right on time I see."

Another squeak.

Lebreau laughed. "And pretty excited I see."

Chibi Bahamut blushed.

The raven haired bartender pulled something out from under the bar. "I see you have the goods."

A nod.

Chibi Bahamut set his own package down and pushed it towards Lebreau.

Lebreau licked her lips. "Oh baby, I'm going to have some fun tonight." The bartender peered into the package, her light brown eyes lighting up in excitement. "You sure you don't want to join me?"

Chibi Bahamut shook his head.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

The mini dragon Eidolon gave Lebreau a look.

"I'm just saying," the bartender said, with a chuckle. She handed Chibi Bahamut his package. "Here you go. Don't forget to water it once a day and make sure it gets plenty of sunlight." A wink.

Chibi Bahamut nodded with a squeak, gently easing his package into a more comfortable grip.

"I'm sure she'll love it."

The mini black knight smiled. He certainly hoped so.

"A pleasure doing business with you," Lebreau said with a wave. The raven haired bartender watched Fang's mini partner leave. She couldn't wait to see the outcome of this.

On the other side of town, in the Yun Dia residence, there was a yell.

"Hey Vanille!" It was Fang. "Have you seen my five hundred year old Bundy?"

* * *

_~ 1 day to Valentine's Day ~_

"Vanille!" Fang exclaimed, her eyes bulging in horror. "Wha-what have ya done!?"

The said redhead looked up from her bowl of cookie dough to give her partner a questioning look. "I'm making cookies, Fang. What does it look like?"

"Did ya hafta drag Bahamut inta it too?"

Vanille looked back at the counter top, where a freshly greased cookie pan sat. Next to the pan was Chibi Bahamut and Chibi Hecatoncheir, the chibis digging out cookie dough from another bowl nearby and setting the dough down in clumps on the pan.

Vanille giggled. "He actually volunteered," she said.

"He-he what?"

Chibi Bahamut felt his cheeks burning, the mini dragon Eidolon doing his best to ignore his battle partner's stare. He had heard her stammer, but that did little to stop him from completing his task. The cookies wouldn't shape themselves after all.

"Oh hush you," Vanille said, setting down her second bowl of cookie dough on the counter. "You never complain about the cookies when you're eating them. So why the fuss now?"

"But Bahamut-"

"Is helping me make them," Vanille interrupted. "So what?"

"That's jus' so..."

"Domesticated?" Vanille was beaming.

"Girly," Fang finished. She wrinkled her nose.

Vanille rolled her eyes. "Stop being so silly, Fang."

"But-"

"No buts!" the redhead said, overriding any of her partner's protests. She shook her finger at the lancer. "Bahamut is helping me make cookies. Deal with it."

Fang pouted.

* * *

_~ Valentine's Day ~_

After a long and agonizing week, for Fang at least, Valentine's Day had finally arrived. Like usual, the former l'Cies gathered together to celebrate this day, the lot of them congregating at Snow and Serah's house. As per the holiday, gifts and cards were traded amongst themselves, more in a family bonding moment rather than a secret crush proclaiming their love kind of moment. The chibis exchanged cards with their battle partners, all of their cards hand made and written in a script which was assumed to be Etro's script. By some miracle, Bhakti had the cipher to translate it and the former l'Cies were pleasantly surprised with the little ones' messages.

The former l'Cies also traded items with each other, Serah and Snow making each other blush with their cards and gifts, the latter of which would be opened away from prying eyes. Aside from Serah, Snow also gave a card to Lightning, making the sergeant chuckle, the blonde behemoth thankful the eldest Farron didn't come wearing her prized gunblade like usual. Fang and Vanille exchanged kisses, forgoing all the formalities of cards and gifts, and went straight to smooching. Sazh kindly reminded them that children were around, gently forcing them apart when they didn't appear to be stopping, another reminder rolling off his lips telling them to save the_ fun stuff_ for later.

Not wanting to be left out, Dajh gave his father a card, Feeve also helping in its construction. The chocobo chick discovered paint for the first time a few days ago, a multicoloured trail of choboco footprints spanning from one cover to the other cover inside. When Hope gave Vanille his own card, the redhead surprised him with a card of her own, along with the cookies she baked the day before. Hope was flabbergasted. In a good way. Of course, the kiss on the cheek only made matters worse for the silver haired teen, the youngster turning as red as a tomato.

To everyone's surprise (though it shouldn't have been), Fang managed to sneak a kiss Lightning on the cheek too, the Pulsian quickly taking advantage of the distraction provided by Hope and Vanille. The only thing which kept her face intact after that was the fact there were little ones in the room. Lightning promised retaliation afterwards, when the chibis weren't around, Fang grinning at that proclamation. All in all, the biggest surprise of the holiday was Chibi Bahamut, the mini Eidolon after most of the festivities amongst family had settled down, choosing to make his move then.

A squeak.

"Hmm?" Lightning looked up from her mug of hot chocolate and gazed at Chibi Bahamut standing in front of her on the table. She, along with the rest of the family sat at the dining table, the rest of the chibis playing on the couch and floor nearby. Everyone (except the other mini Eidolons) failed to notice the little dragon disappear for a moment, only to return with two packages in hand.

With his cheeks burning in brightly, Chibi Bahamut lowered his gaze and pushed the two packages at Lightning.

Fang's jaw dropped.

"Oh my word," Sazh said. That had to be the cutest thing he head ever seen a long time.

In front of Lightning was a single potted sunflower, next to it a black pouch tied with a white ribbon. The familiar scent of cookies wafted from the pouch.

"Oh my gosh!" Vanille squealed, hugging the closest person to her. That turned out to be Serah, the youngest pinkette also squealing. "That is so cute!"

For assisting with the cooking, or rather baking, yesterday, Chibi Bahamut was given a portion of the freshly baked cookies. And now Vanille knew where they disappeared to. Who knew the little dragon was so romantic?

Lightning looked at Chibi Bahamut in surprise. Chibi Odin, on the other hand, looked quite murderously at his brother.

"A... sunflower?" Snow said in confusion. He scratched his head.

"That's probably because Fang calls Lightning 'Sunshine' so much," Vanille said. She giggled.

Fang's mouth opened and closed but no words came out.

"Wow," Hope said. "That's really sweet of him." Why didn't he think of doing something like that? All he got for Lightning was a card. He was too afraid to give her candies, far-a-less cookies.

"Oh my gosh, Claire!" Serah exclaimed, half tackling, half hugging her sister around the shoulders. "Well? Don't leave the poor guy hanging! Say something!"

For all that she was tough and strong, Lightning was speechless. Turning back to look at Chibi Bahamut, the small dragon Eidolon couldn't but squirm under her gaze, looking on nervously. Now he knew how Chibi Odin felt on Wintersday, when the chibis gave their battle partners gifts.

Staring at the two items, gifts, in front of her again, Lightning's hand strayed to the cookie pouch, fingers pulling at the ribbon to open it. A soft smile graced her lips when she pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. She knew exactly what she would say.

"I'll accept this gift under one condition," Lightning said.

Chibi Bahamut swallowed down the lump in his throat, putting on his best brave front as he waited with bated breath for Lightning's next few words.

Lightning's smile widened. "You'll share it with me." The pink haired sergeant broke the cookie in half and offered one piece to Chibi Bahamut.

A squeal.

Chibi Bahamut was beaming as he took the cookie piece from his secret crush. Plopping down on his behind, he ate the cookie on the table alongside Lightning.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bahamut," Lightning said, the soldier ignoring Fang's gawk. "Thank you for the gifts. I love them."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Bundy is Australian slang for the Australian drink Bundaberg Rum. Seeing as how Fang and Vanille are voiced by Australian voice actors, it seemed plausible to pull things from Australian culture to continue that trend. I know nothing about alcohol, aside from the fact that wine gets better with age. I assumed this was the case for rum as well. :P_


	9. Operation Cookie Grab

**Etro****'****s ****Keepers: ****A ****Day ****in ****the ****Life**

_**A/N**__: __And __the __next __chapter __is __here! __Whoo! Do to the nature of this chapter, expect some OOCness for our heroes and heroines._

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ inky.13 – Thanks for the comment! I tried to send you a pm reply, but you have pms disabled, so I'm replying back to you here. Hehe. This was quite the fun chapter for me to write. I've been thinking about this 'pairing' of sorts ever since I wrote that cookie chapter way back when Lightning was turned chibi. I just couldn't resist. XD_

_ Nas – Thanks for the review. ^^ Yep, ain't that the cutest thing? Maybe not for Fang though. Lol. Oh boy, I can just imagine the conversations between Fang and Lightning in the future about this. Hehe._

_ sage – Thanks for the review. ^^ You are correct my friend. That was around the start of things. Hehe. I'm not too sure where I want to go from here, but I think I'll explore that some more in later chapters if people want it. XD_

_**Disclaimer**__: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Operation Cookie Grab ~ ***

_(featuring __the__ former l'Cies family __chibis __and __Chibi __Lightning)_

Serah was at war.

She just didn't know it yet.

The youngest Farron quietly hummed to herself, currently in the process of preparing tonight's meal. Standing over the kitchen sink, peeling vegetables, the smallest pinkette was completely oblivious to what was happening in her living room just a few feet away.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Chibi Lightning said. She stood on top of the living room table, hands on her hips.

All of the chibis, except for Odin (Snow had dragged the adult sized Eidolon out on patrol again), stopped what they were doing to look at Chibi Lightning.

"Today, we're eating cookies."

Silence.

Then the chibis burst out laughing.

Chibi Lightning scowled. "I realize all of you think I'm joking, but I'm not."

The chibi Eidolons stopped for a moment to listen again before laughing even harder.

Them eating cookies today? Like that would ever happen.

All of the chibis were veterans of war and combat. Having battled countless enemies along side their battle partners when they were l'Cies, they'd fought it all. Gran Pulse monsters. PSICOM soldiers. Hell, even the legendary fal'Cies for Maker's sake! But out of all of their opponents, none of them had ever been Serah Farron.

While Chibi Lightning's younger sibling appeared to be a petite, vulnerable girl, the chibis would be the first to tell you to never let looks alone deceive you. For all that she looked weak and unprotected, Serah Farron was a demon with an unbeaten record of defending the cookie jar from every sort of intruder (Snow included). Long ago, the chibis gave up on ever getting the delicious treats known as cookies unless it was for a special occasion. Which was like never. Serah was just that good. It was like the youngest Farron had the Eyes of Etro or something. How else could she have known when they were going to try and take a cookie ahead of time?

A squeak.

Chibi Lightning looked at Chibi Brynhildr. "Is that so?" she said in response to the fire Eidolon's comment.

Another squeak, this time from Chibi Alexander. The tiny Eidolon shook his head.

"Impossible, huh?" Chibi Lightning said, repeating the other chibi's words. "Then you've clearly forgotten what happened during our fight with Orphan."

Small eyes went wide as the tiny soldier struck a pose. Drawing an imaginary gunblade and pointing it at an imaginary enemy in front of her, Chibi Lightning glared.

"We live to make the impossible, possible. That is our Focus!"

The other chibis stared at Chibi Lightning in awe. As much as they first doubted the mini pinkette, Chibi Lightning was right. They had done the impossible before, so why not now?

"Claire? What are you doing?"

Chibi Lightning's gaze rose from the chibi Eidolons on the floor to the couch, where her younger sibling leaned against the back of it. Serah watched her movements, clearly amused. To the mini soldier's credit, Chibi Lightning replied calmly, like it was the most natural thing in the world, what she was doing that is.

"I was just retelling them how we beat Orphan again, Serah."

Serah's smile was brilliant. "Full with theatrics and everything I see."

Chibi Lightning blushed, doing her best to cover it up with her typical scowl. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Was there a reason you came over here aside from making fun of me?"

The other pinkette giggled. "Just checking up on the little ones," Serah said. "I figured they'd start to get hungry by now." She glanced back at the cookie jar on the counter.

Chibi Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"It's not what you think," Serah said, noticing her sister's look. "Force of habit."

"Uh huh." The tiny soldier looked at Serah blankly. "Well, we're not hungry right now, so you can go back to cooking dinner."

"You sure?"

Before any of the others could say anything, Chibi Lightning answered for them. "We're sure."

"Alright then," Serah said, standing up straight once more. "I'll get back to cooking. If you need anything, just holler."

Chibi Lightning smiled, waving as her sister returned to the kitchen. "Oh don't worry, Serah," the miniature soldier said. "We will."

Looking down to her vertically challenged companions once more, Chibi Lightning put her hands on her hips again. "So who's up for some cookies?"

Multiple squeaks sounded.

"Right. Here's what we're going to do..."

* * *

_~ Plan A: Havoc ~_

A squeak.

Serah's gaze strayed from the Adamantoise meat she was slicing to the two chibis standing on the kitchen counter next to her. "Hmm?"

Another squeak. Then a grumble and a squeakier squeak.

Serah blinked.

Chibi Hecatoncheir and Chibi Brynhildr were currently heatedly discussing, or rather arguing, about baking. Baking cookies specifically. Much to Serah's surprise, they were talking about her chocolate chip cookie recipe in particular, Chibi Hecatoncheir saying the consistency of the dough was what made it so delicious. Chibi Brynhildr, on the other hand, argued that the mix of ingredients combined with the exact temperature is what created such a masterpiece.

A squeak. Then a huff and a stomp.

It seemed the chibis couldn't quite agree on the matter, the discussion getting to the point where both of them now looked at Serah, demanding that she pick a side. Looking between the two little ones, Serah couldn't bring herself to choose one over the other, both of them seemingly having valid points of view on the matter. Thinking about it further, Serah couldn't but wonder. How did her cookies always turn out so well? Everyone loved her cookies, Serah always complimented for them every time she baked them. Hence the reason the pinkette was always on the lookout for cookie thieves, especially her fiance.

Looking at the cookie jar, a look not missed by either chibi, Serah considered taking out a cookie to take a bite. The recipe she used was her mother's recipe. It had taken her years of practice to perfect it to this point. Her mother's instructions had always been very specific, but over the years Serah realized there was more to making them than just following the recipe. Perhaps it was the care she had put into them which made them so delicious. Her mother's care had certainly produced heavenly tasting cookies after all.

Only when she heard the cookie jar lid lift off of the jar frame itself did Serah snap out of her thoughts. Chibi Hecatoncheir had the cookie jar lid in his hands while Chibi Brynhildr had a cookie held out to her. The chibis must have seen the wistful look on her face, for they certainly knew better than to go into the cookie jar unless they had permission. The little ones were always so sweet.

Serah smiled. "Not right now Brynhildr, but thanks." While Serah missed her old family, she had a new one now to think about. One she wouldn't trade for the world.

"And no, you may not have any before dinner. You can have fruit instead."

Chibi Brynhildr deflated quickly at Serah's words, Chibi Hecatoncheir too, both of them putting the cookie back in the jar before replacing the ceramic lid. From her hiding spot on the nearby bookshelf, Chibi Lightning threw up her hands in exasperation. What was wrong with those two!? They were so close! Chibi Lightning sighed.

Plan A was a bust. Time for Plan B.

* * *

_~ Plan__ B: __Divide __& __Conquer ~  
_

A squeak.

Serah looked to her left and found Chibi Alexander standing on the counter top next to her. She'd been in the middle of cutting up celery before the chibi showed up.

Another squeak, this time Chibi Alexander holding his hands behind his back and looking to the side, shyly.

"You want to help me cook?"

A nod.

Serah smiled. "Aww, that's sweet of you Alexander."

Chibi Alexander blushed.

Taking a quick tally of the cooking ingredients around her, Serah pointed to the cabinet a few feet away from them. "How about you grab me the packet of garlic powder?"

With Serah's attention successfully diverted, Chibi Bahamut made his move. The tiny dragon Eidolon silently skirted around the dinner table, making a beeline for the refrigerator. Having made his way to the large appliance, he quickly looked back at his opponent.

"Not that one, Alexander," Serah said, her back turned to Chibi Bahamut. "The yellow one."

Confirming that Serah was still completely distracted, Chibi Bahamut switched into gestalt mode and flew up to land on top of the refrigerator. Just as he did, the mini black knight was forced to hug the top of it, flattening himself as much as possible as Serah opened the cooling device for another cooking ingredient. He would remain as flat as road kill for another minute, that amount of time ensuring Serah made her way back to the sink without spotting him.

At the sound of Serah chopping up another vegetable, Chibi Bahamut scrambled to the side of the refrigerator, the opposite side he flew up, pausing to identify his prey. The large cookie jar sat on the counter top just next to the fridge, the well used knife catching cutting board propped up against the fridge between the cookie jar and the refrigerator. Glancing at Serah again, her back still turned to him, Chibi Bahamut jumped off of the top of the refrigerator, slowing his fall with his wings. He landed silently on the counter in front of the cutting board.

"Can you pass me the pepper, Alexander?"

Chibi Alexander did what he was told, picking up the large cylinder container holding the black grains of seasoning. Pulling off the lid and setting the container down next to the stove, where Serah was stirring a large pot of stew, curiosity got the better of the tiny Eidolon and he stuck his head inside of the pepper container to take a sniff. Hope always had a habit of smelling food to make sure it didn't spoil. Having never seen pepper before and not knowing if it spoiled or not, Chibi Alexander mimicked his battle partner and took a sniff. Unfortunately for Chibi Alexander, his battle partner failed to inform the Eidolon that that wasn't necessary for some things. Things like pepper.

A loud sneeze.

A mushroom cloud of pepper particles flew up into the air, and straight into Chibi Alexander's face. The chibi was soon sneezing uncontrollably, coughing in between as he tried to expel the pepper he inhaled. Mother almighty! What weapon was this!? Chibi Alexander's eyes, nose and mouth burned like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

"Alexander!" Serah exclaimed, realizing the chibi's folly. She immediately reached for a kitchen towel, ready to soak it in cold water to wash off the chibi's face, when her hand froze mid reach.

Blue eyes met red ones.

Chibi Bahamut swallowed nervously.

The mini black dragon was in the middle of grabbing his sixth cookie from the now opened cookie jar, the cover resting on the counter next to him. Unfortunately for him, the kitchen towels Serah was reaching for hung off of one of the cabinet door handles, that specific door handle just happening to be right under the cookie jar. Chibi Bahamut smiled wearily.

Serah took the cookie from Chibi Bahamut's hand, placing it back inside of the cookie jar along with the rest of the cookies stacked on the counter top. With the cover now back in place, she took the kitchen towel like she planned, soaked it in water, and relieved Chibi Alexander of his affliction.

"Nice try," the youngest Farron said, Serah looking back to the guilty looking dragon chibi. She nodded to the pot cooking on the stove next to her. "Seeing as how you're so full of energy," Serah said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "How about you take over for Alexander and help me with dinner?"

A sweet, sugar rotten smile.

From her hiding spot under the dinner table, Chibi Lightning face palmed. There went Plan B.

Time for Plan C.

* * *

~ _Plan__ C: __Double __Trouble ~  
_

When at first you don't succeed, try again. At least, that's what Chibi Lightning told the others when her first and second plans failed. As a result of being caught trying to steal cookies, Chibi Bahamut was forced (not really) to help Serah with the remainder of the cooking. Chibi Alexander felt absolutely terrible for that screw up, as it was indeed his fault, but Chibi Lightning told him not to worry about it. Things didn't always go according to plan, and when that happened, it was best to learn from your mistakes and move on. So that's exactly what they were going to do.

_CRASH!_

At least, that was the plan.

"Holy mother of Etro!"

Except Chibi Lightning didn't mean for it to go this way exactly.

While there was that unspoken rule in the Yun Dia residence, one about the chibis not using their powers in the house, there was no such rule in the Farron-Villiers house (not yet at least), which resulted in this current situation.

"Stiria! Nix! Stop that this instant!"

Serah had been in the middle of cooking, stirring her boiling pot of stew when something zipped by her face. Startled by the flying projectile, she was even more startled when she looked to the right, to see what the projectile was and what it hit. The entire counter top to the right of sink was coated in a quarter inch thick layer of ice. Turning back to where the projectile came from, Serah let out the most girly sound when her hand suddenly went cold. The pinkette dropped the stirring ladle she held in the sink.

It was covered in ice.

"Girls! If you don't stop that this instant, I'm telling Snow!"

Serah held her breath in silent anticipation, having resorted to hiding behind the kitchen counter to escape the icy barrage of the two rebellions ice Eidolons hurtling Blizzards at her from the family room couch. The youngest Farron couldn't fathom how they were able to get away with such behaviour, especially with her sister there, but thinking about it further, it wouldn't have shocked Serah if the terrible twins had somehow incapacitated Lightning before pulling this mutiny. Maker knows where the other chibis were and what they were doing right now. Serah was definitely going to have a long talk with her fiance about the twins after this.

A squeak.

Chibi Bahamut peered out from the sink. When the ice started flying, that was where he jumped to for cover.

Serah looked at Chibi Bahamut, also noticing how quiet it suddenly got.

Perhaps her threat worked after all.

Seeing the mini dragon cautiously climb out of the kitchen sink without being harmed, Serah tempted fate herself and peered out of her cover too. Blue eyes looked up to find two smug looking mini ice Eidolons looking down at her from the counter top she hid behind. Blizzards coagulated in their open palms.

Crap.

Snow was going to get such an earful after this. Just what had gotten into the chibis? Were they suddenly starting to go through the Eidolon version of puberty?

_Tap. __Tap. __Tap._

Chibi Stiria turned to look behind herself at the feeling of something tapping her on the shoulder. She immediately regretted it the moment she did.

An uncharacteristically small squeak.

Chibi Nix turned to her sister when that pathetic sound left her sibling's lips. Chibi Stiria was as pale as she was! About to reach out to her sibling to ask what was wrong, a faint crackling sound reached her ears. The second ice twin followed her sister's gaze, going even more white than she already was having now found the source of that sound and her sister's fright.

Chibi Lightning breathed heavily, her once not-one-hair-out-of-place locks messy and ruffled. Blue eyes were hidden in the shadow of her pink hair, a Thundaga crackling dangerously in her left upturned hand.

Serah swallowed thickly at the sight of her sister's deranged smile, the youngest pinkette choosing now to sink back down to the floor and behind cover again. Chibi Bahamut also did the same, taking one look at Chibi Lightning before diving back into the kitchen sink.

Chibi Lightning's smile stretched further across her face.

"Now which one of you thought I'd stand by while you went after my sister?"

* * *

A hiss.

Chibi Lightning face palmed again. "Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed, fighting the urge to punch someone in the face. Or two of them rather.

"When I said to gang up on Serah, I didn't mean for you to actually, physically, attack her with everything you got!"

By now, dinner was nearly upon them, the rest of the former l'Cies due over in little under half an hour. Sadly, no progress was made in the chibis getting their cookies, Chibi Lightning's last plan failing miserably. Plan D, E, and F also failed. If the other chibis weren't feeling restless before, they certainly were now. All of them were hungry, hungrier than normal as the mini Eidolons had forgone their regular mid day snack, even if it was more of the healthy sort.

Another hiss.

"What in your right mind made it alright to attack your partner's fiance?" Chibi Lightning said incredulously, glaring at the two mini ice Eidolons in front of her.

Just behind them, Chibi Bahamut was chewing out Chibi Alexander, the dragon Eidolon still angry about the mess up which left him stuck being Serah's food slave for a little over twenty minutes. Those were the longest and most miserable twenty minutes of his life.

A growl.

Chibi Alexander's eyes narrowed, the mini Eidolon pulling back his shoulders and squaring himself firmly to his older brother. While technically all of the Eidolons were of the same age, there was this unsaid order they were supposedly 'born' in. Chibi Alexander gave his older sibling a hard glare. If Chibi Bahamut thought he was going to get away with pinning all the blame on him for the pepper mess up, the other chibi had another thing coming.

A squeak.

Red eyes widened and Chibi Bahamut growled again. Now Chibi Alexander was talking back to him? Oh that would not continue! Chibi Bahamut gave his younger sibling a good shove.

Chibi Alexander stumbled backwards a few steps, completely shocked, before his eyes narrowed again. Two could play at that game. So he shoved Chibi Bahamut back.

Another shove. And another.

Soon a full out shoving war was in progress between the two brothers, their cries of indignation and anger raising in volume.

"What is going on-"

_CRACK!_

Chibi Lightning never got the chance to finish her question. Nor did she even see what hit her either. Gravity pulled at her, her limp form soon after peeling out of the crater left in the family room table leg like a cooked piece of spaghetti falling off a wall. Chibi Lightning flopped to the ground face first with a thud, not moving an inch after that.

It didn't take long for Chibi Lightning to hear the scuffle going on between the other chibis. As if it wasn't bad enough having to deal with the stubborn twins, now she had to deal with the boys and all of that jazz. Like any peacemaker, the tiny soldier's first instinct was to walk between the fighting Eidolon to call a ceasefire. The little ones always paused when she approached them. As much as she was their size now, they all knew this was a temporary thing, and respected Chibi Lightning for who she was. This was what Chibi Lightning was counting on, though sadly, this time it didn't happen. Chibi Alexander and Chibi Bahamut were so enraged with each other in their shoving match, that when the time came for punches to roll, Chibi Lightning had the unfortunate timing of walking straight into Chibi Alexander's fist.

While his magic abilities were nothing to scoff about, Chibi Alexander prided himself the most on his brawling techniques. And hence, when his fist connected with the left side of Chibi Lightning's face, the force of the blow literally tossed the chibi sergeant off her feet and straight back into the family room table leg. The impact left a Chibi Lightning shaped crater in the table leg. Not to mention it made that awful noise of something snapping.

Maker, Hope was going to murder him.

Chibi Alexander started to bawl.

"Claire?"

Serah looked up from the final touches she was putting on dinner. Just seconds ago, all the noise the chibis had been making (Maker only knew what they were doing over there with her chibified sister) suddenly stopped. And now it sounded like someone was crying. Or screaming. Serah wasn't sure what that sound was to be honest.

"What's going on over there?"

Wiping her hand on the closest towel and making sure all the pots were off the stove, Serah made her way over the living room to investigate. Thinking her sister had done something to make one of the kids cry (because let's face it, Lightning could make anyone cry if she wanted to), Serah stopped dead in her tracks, her face paling when she came close enough to see exactly what was happening.

Chibi Alexander was sitting in the middle of the floor crying his eyes out. Chibi Stiria and Chibi Nix were yelling at Chibi Bahamut who was yelling at them back. And Chibi Hecatoncheir and Chibi Brynhildr was running around in circles, freaking out as if Cocoon was falling from the sky. Again. And Chibi Lightning? Well, she was face down on the floor deathly still.

"Claire!"

Serah slid to a halt on her knees next to her downed sister, this action startling the chibis out of what they were doing. The little ones gawked at her in fear and trepidation. The only exception to that was Chibi Alexander, who was crying even harder and louder at Serah's entrance.

"C-Claire?"

In spite of shaking hands and tears starting to blur her vision, Serah gently lifted her sister's prone form from the floor and flipped her over onto her back. It didn't take a PSICOM scientist to figure out where that new imprint in the furniture came from. Termites certainly didn't carve shapes while chewing.

"P-please say something..."

Serah winced, the side of Chibi Lightning's face red and beginning to swell. She also fingered a fresh bump on the back of her head. Her sister had yet to respond.

The door to the Farron-Villiers residence opened.

"Serah, honey!" Snow called out, joyfully like he usually did. "We're ho-"

"Snow!"

One look at his fiance's tear stained sent Snow racing towards Serah. "Baby, what's-" He caught sight of Chibi Lightning. "Etro! Is she-"

A dark shadow loomed over them both, both Serah and Snow swallowing nervously as they looked up. Even the gawking chibis, except for the wailing Chibi Alexander, backed off some.

Odin loomed over the pair, his eyes locked on Chibi Lightning's limp form in Serah's hands.

"Oh boy," Snow said as Odin's gaze moved to that of his siblings.

A rumble.

The rest of the chibis looked at Chibi Alexander.

"Whoa! Calm down, Odin!" Snow tackled the adult sized Eidolon, wrestling the large white knight back into the kitchen, both of them bumping into the dinner table along the way. The moment Chibi Lightning's attacker had been identified, Odin went on the war path. Snow praised the Maker Odin didn't have his weapons with him right now.

A groan.

Everyone froze.

"Claire?"

Chibi Lightning moaned again, blearily blinking her eyes. Limply she moved her head to the side, that action alone making her even more dizzy, a spike of pain tearing through her skull.

"Sssseraah?" Chibi Lightning slurred. Her head felt so heavy and everything to hurt. Her face was throbbing and her vision was blurry.

"Hey," Serah said, a relieved smile on her face. The youngest pinkette wiped away her tears with the back of her free hand. "How are you feeling?"

Chibi Lightning almost whimpered, weakly raising a hand to her head, flinching as the touched her tender face. "Like I got run over by a fal'Cie," she said. "Or the Maker." Chibi Lightning blinked again, her vision starting to clear. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, Sis."

Snow's blurry face, along with Odin's, appeared behind Serah's shoulder. Chibi Lightning winced at the feeling of cold on the throbbing part of her face. Chibi Nix pressed a Blizzara to the mini pinkette's cheek to help with the swelling. Chibi Stiria was preparing a Curaga. Unfocused blue eyes looked around the room, Chibi Lightning's gaze falling upon Chibi Alexander. By now the other chibi had stopped crying, his small shoulders shuddering every so often with hiccups. Chibi Brynhildr was rubbing his shoulder soothingly. Chibi Bahamut, standing next to his brother, looked at Chibi Lightning guiltily.

"Accident," Chibi Lightning murmured, closing her eyes when she felt the Curaga spread through her body.

Serah and Snow looked at each other. Odin glanced at Chibi Alexander.

"That must have been some accident." The blonde behemoth traced the imprint in the family room table leg with his gloved fingers.

Chibi Lightning nodded, quickly stopping that motion when her stomach flipped in a sickening way. Oh she was going to be sick. "My fault," the chibi pinkette admitted, lethargically. "Wasn't..." A swallow. "Wasn't paying attention."

Serah looked at her fiance in surprise. It wasn't like her sister to not being paying attention. Or to be admitting that fact either.

A sniffle.

Chibi Alexander reluctantly walked up to Chibi Lightning, looking shamefully at his feet.

A squeak.

Chibi Lightning turned her head to the other chibi. Chibi Alexander immediately squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a slap or some other form of physical violence from the tiny soldier when he saw her reach out to him. Chibi Lightning surprised him by patting Chibi Alexander on the head softly.

A small smile. "Don't worry Alexander," Chibi Lightning said. "We'll try again tomorrow. Not your fault."

A glance to the cookie jar.

Odin stared at his battle partner before following her gaze.

Chibi Lightning sighed. Who knew cookie stealing could be so... dangerous? Maker, no wonder the other chibis were afraid of Serah. They were their own worse enemies. And then there was Serah to deal with after that.

"Are you up for dinner, Claire?"

By now the Curaga had done it's job, as did Chibi Nix's Blizzara. The swelling in Chibi Lightning's face was now gone, as was the bump at the back of her head. Chibi Lightning shook her head. While the aches and pains were gone, she felt extremely tired right now. Chibi Lightning closed her eyes again.

Another rumble.

"Are you sure, Odin?" Serah looked at Odin with concern as the adult sized Eidolon took Chibi Lightning from her. "I can watch over her instead."

Odin shook his head. Chibi Lightning was his battle partner. He would look after her.

"I'll bring up some food for you both in a bit then," Serah relented.

Odin nodded, gently cradling Chibi Lightning in his arms. The tiny pinkette unconsciously cuddled against him. Before anyone else could say anything, Odin left without further ado, no one noticing the bump under his white cape, nor the missing cookie jar from the kitchen counter top.

* * *

A squeak.

It would be two hours later when Chibi Lightning awoke from her nap. By then it was dark outside, and dinner was long finished, the left overs put away. Chibi Lightning rubbed her eyes first, then proceeded to stretch, a pleased noise escaping her throat as a few kinks in her back popped back into place. Sitting up on her bed, Chibi Lightning blinked in surprise when she realized she wasn't alone.

Another squeak. And a repentant murmur.

The rest of the chibis were here, on her bed too. Odin sat at the dining table, reading a book.

"What..." Chibi Lightning said. "What are all of you doing here? What's wrong?"

Multiple squeaks. The chibis talked over one another.

Chibi Lightning blinked again, stunned.

After dinner, with the permission of their battle partners and Serah, they all came back up to Chibi Lightning's level and stayed here to make sure she was alright. She was one of them after all.

Chibi Lightning was touched.

"I'm fine, really," she said, trying to ease their fears. A chuckle. "That's not the first time I've been knocked around a bit."

Chibi Alexander looked miserable.

Oops. Wrong choice of words.

"Alexander," Chibi Lightning said. "I'm not mad at you. It was an accident."

Chibi Alexander still looked miserable. Chibi Bahamut looked pretty wretched too, as he was partly to blame for that incident.

Chibi Lightning sighed. "What can I do to convince you two?"

There was a blur of movement before a chocolate chip cookie appeared in front of Chibi Lightning. Blue eyes went wide.

"How did you-"

Chibi Lightning's gaze fell on Serah's cookie jar, sitting atop her dining room table.

"Odin!" Chibi Lightning exclaimed, startling the rest of the chibis. They all looked to their older brother, squeaks of surprise sounding when they too saw the cookie jar.

"How did you even-"

A mechanical chuckle.

Chibi Lightning face palmed. Of course. In the whole drama of her getting knocked out, no one would have suspected little (or in this case big) innocent Odin to have used that as a distraction to procure cookies, far-a-less the entire cookie jar. Chibi Lightning could only shake her head, smiling.

"You're horrible!"

Odin merely shrugged before dropping the cooking in his battle partner's hands. The white knight then proceeded to hand out a cookie to the rest of the chibis, also taking one for himself.

"Well," Chibi Lightning said, chuckling. "I guess Operation Cookie Grab was a success after all."

All of the chibis looked at Chibi Lightning.

"Not quite the way I imagined it would go, but it was a success nonetheless." Chibi Lightning shrugged. "Just... let's not go around repeating that exact turn of events again." A pause. "If there's any punching to be done, it will be done by me."

The chibis looked at each other.

A squeak.

Chibi Lightning laughed, along with the other chibis as they all settled down to eat their prize. "Thank you Stiria for volunteering your partner to be my first victim."

The ice twins giggled again before taking another bite from their cookies. Below them all downstairs, a yell sounded loud and clear.

"SNOW!" It was Serah. "What did you do with the cookies!?"

"It wasn't me, Serah!" Snow shouted in fear. "I swear!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ A shoutout goes to Justin Is TheSun for the title of this chapter. I had been thinking of writing this chapter for a while and have finally written it._

_In case it wasn't clear, this takes place during the time Lightning was a chibi and before Chibi Siren joined the party. Also of that note, the chibis retain their magical powers. Since Lightning is also a chibi, her l'Cie powers have also returned to her in that form. Odin, being akin to a human adult, does not have any magical abilities at the moment. _

_I found it only fitting that the chibis attempts to steal cookies were based on the paradigms they were named after. _


End file.
